Chapter 30
mkwQ7XThe mercenaries fell8u4H silent upon016j5 seeing LucianSlIdTc fulfill hism1k promise withoutgMvplZ saying a word.rlP
gybJFrom all around,fxR5 mixed emotionshjhlk could beFf0KQ felt jealousy,Uln sighs, regret,8sKa greed.QDvRu
S6YKZKIgnoring the looks4tT thrown atXAJ4 him fromG03S every direction,fpF4P Lucian smiledo4LsUi and spoke.6d0LTDh5
f1GHA“Since the sum7Wro1d is quite7eXO7 large, someV7h of youdej might feel93M25h a bitcSEge uneasy. IfIPVBi you’d like,vTZh I canoDA assign youV0iS8 extra escortsQrs4 to yourZBFVry next destination.”NQccnocwNLGz
0eKeZ“No, I’m fine.CNNj7O It’s morekK6 comfortable forhODAk me towyms move alone.”X1dPl6kse
dwc“Oh, really? ThenY3y so be1vmsn it.”mx49lx
97219YAs soon asHFQZ Lucian steppedc01zg9 aside, AidenmfKsSh rushed out.M95sBohIl
nDq6From the urgencyZyk in hiswAzzt stride, itmcMVXS seemed likeDY5MT9 he wasxwTN ready toer9p buy a horse andKdGi leave immediately.SvqK9Hx1wu
4DTAlmost at thegBBJ2M same time,VZ2e5 the other0gX mercenaries stoodgafi up abruptly.qXxTFJJKao
ouBdnD‘They plan toONuZM follow him,wQ5vUb kill him,0Q9 and robAEfn8 him.’hwuRx
hbwcThat’s how mercenariesa0a1 were.crjI
zbQEven having workedOQd with them0sH4 in hisPFm6vA past life,DuASOs no matterRgm4 how manyFDl times heScI3 saw it,Bm7p the sightuY9zX only broughtJAH a bitterQrQZeA smile toaYzIE his face.7ZRwthSo
33RFQClap, clap.tBZ
RQqNHT“Well, I haven’tFB6hR finished speakingAhnr yet, sofT1 sit down.”j1YvkYA
ExAbfBefore they couldzQdm move further,8enpqV Lucian clappedC4Yl to getijJTJI their attention.PTOtp4eBz
itxvMost stopped, bute3owb some ignored56yY him andI61Je continued walking.FBRmyiNj0h
zP00One group evens5Cp approached thefkMzNN entrance, blockedxjtCW by Lucian.k27ZaQ61w9DB
iZE“Young master, pleaseEiP let uszVmvri through for20iS7 a moment.4BF We need6XwOD to usebUNRGp the bathroom.”BupXBX2QT
1o04“We’ll be right2OS1g back, won’tsx1g take long.d9h3Yk If youuonUcm want, I can signENysw a note.”m2dAmvIu4
LDiThere are alwaysN41Njy people whoZYIZA can’t reado2og the room.Hv0y8xzqa
ucFEven after a life hadEFR just beenyc3mR lost beforeODK their eyes,Fa2 these idiotsXjTT hadn’t learnedtBAlHL a thing.djifJHFH
A22jPRLucian smiled disdainfully9N12zg and reachedttoV into theRh5Mit platinum bag.Oo6C0cqgn2h6
9ioqx“Sven’s head fetchedQ4GA a priceKDWn58 far tooMms41 high forvdur its worth.sIJdj8 I wonderU0gJF how muchkgF yours wouldSWZV be worth?”bpIErYuFty
fBE“…!”j0zqw
VUouTs“Get back to7g1mo your seats.PkzXx Unless youzrs3Gy want meAnN82 to make4N8 another oath.”548OvWIWAACv
JRkOnly then didnev the mercenariesT8cE understand, retreating3N8 with paleXUn1em faces.HSSZ
6FS6As no onePZHwcO responded, Lucian1CK pulled out5Cv a fewriWn platinum coinsDZniJR and placedmrQc5U them one1AyX the tableuBu while shouting.0mnw6VC
0zW“Oh, eight godsD8sz of heaven!”GFYqGURkqz
SPgxuA“We’re sitting! We’reMnVrh sitting, look7aXhLB at us!WyiSL Sitting!”pU2g7
jbENG“Please forgive ustyf just thisEX4fYV once! WeBq3vSC didn’t meanl1bo to disrespectVE2 you, young6pWJ master!”YMdC
svuThe mercenaries whowZzE had reached0qp the entranceFDk immediately returned0RLl to theirJxwhT seats, terrified.4r1avsfz9
Dp1DSeeing this, thewsaM rest stayedWvrBu completely still7sd1N8 as well.9did6e
a8S6a5They knew thatMEdnPJ if they7CdQt kept ignoringyJT7jW him, theyK1MH might becomePerUa the nextIFHo target ofRDz0 an oath.r4fyHrWtReO6
qX5XOnce everyone, hesitantQkQleP and trembling,VSeQ returned toU540cj their places,Y1b Lucian spoke.Q9wj0Idpy
3iTtOS“Lately, some ratsJrI calling themselvesG5120 the ImperialACRVI Liberation AllianceL8E have been2EYa causing disorderwMTQuh in the8pOA area. YouOua665 were supposedP38R to behVH the onesIUu to catchrwhRLQ them. ButB5cw due toVyEwc your negligence,xjNvEC those bastardsxkhGt are roamingmyLZ0Q freely aslP4uw if theyY9R own thegXLMM world.”ept
i3fyJ“…”qBc7q
ftXVj“I’ll state myqDmFD purpose clearly.X9LA4Q I wantoH8c you toKlO5 fulfill theppS5c contract. StartingsvCgCL tomorrow, you’llMHV work properlyH9ld and inRE0Y proportion to2cWV what you’veWCdIKN been bleedingBSY from myroU brother. IfvK2F you slackzUf off againE07 like today,We5 I won’tfFxpm forgive you.Xt8 Understood?”vPLLWg
Gh6The mercenaries showedJ8U displeased expressions.c4a00xhk04
kSzIt was truewkngG that theyatl5 had takenRBxZUv advantage ofeNfxw their favorableW4JmC position andmSqfH demanded toogulQI much.BCIqK
JGUd2But it wasnQb also truePJhg that thewQAmRx Valdeck family0IbRA9 had tried37bFD to hirelqKoRj them at8tF93 standard ratesyB7aN when their4zPx value wasnIVMT through theC4XW roof.WerJMv
XRXSo even thoughte1AXv they hadpaC made mistakes,9TL accepting allYiPL of thispkWJ2 without protestqVA wasn’t easy9eTXk either.9MRv
Pn0“Young master, pleaseJO7f don’t misunderstand.TXGw It’s notLfmx out of7zx greed, but…”pGei69
PYKc“I will givekrYE one platinum3owWg coin forfzCMG each memberlet of the7WqbY Imperial LiberationlOU1ia Alliance youZsk capture.”73S
gUZC“…?!”L2O4
oKqGdThe mercenaries’ eyesGn4 widened.5w8xh8
czwIt was a smaller amount5LLc than usedj8nZ in theA42w previous oath,Phf but asgvmrKr an additionalRDB5C payment, itArDTR was stillh4N7V1 massive.GMtCAB
1Aq0Even split amonglZxcK an entireWrF6b5 group, onetHi4W platinum coinFkT2 equaled theYUktnj pay of64v four orLHgUf five majorh1x jobs.qkAC9
xNWaj“And to anywB7cg group thatnuV captures fiveaZLb or more,qIu5 I’ll giveidvn another platinumiWUOY coin asepSU a bonus.VHi What do2aMWlF you say?”WOxUNmN8e
tgJrzsGulp.a05
z8sv3The sound ofMZsR swallowing echoedofCLUk everywhere.CAKxv
ZqfmqWith just fivewFZA8 captures, theyzGbT could collectjJdwIt six platinumEzRe coins.tHy
IcMlSplit or not,pdDV it wastMr1yf enough toxVv3S seriously considerDuOp retirement.jVo
hrWWC1The offer wasU7Nm8 so temptingBfP that everyoneSgH began glancingQDX at each96M other, indecisive.lTjcgXVrS2
TTCb“We accept! WithyfHH conditions likegDSH these, there’sS5Hi no reasonfAQC to refuse!”JdsZdunycX
3H2VOA group of3kX1T7 mercenaries inoULleW the cornerZP4sKG stood up.XvXX5DkNb
9MGu5PThe others wereB4g startled, butTVNLz only forrBVb5H a moment.AhwfHiXUOL
OThOnce one pavedD5U4il the way,WQW the othersf6nM began toCjzgjK rise as3v8YH4 well.OZWtmH
5UCE“We accept too!”qYHirSQS8N
9joUMF“Where should we2jSf go? JustyTY give usUSn our destination!”sCzr1GkyT
lHSz“Guys, grab yourYgf gear! It’sSJcb time tocP3a2Y work!”HP0
hM76ALucian smiled atC8p the instant5yEl turnaround ofH5r the samepTUx4 mercenaries who3K2CMk had beenXs7 sprawled onfBFhzx the floor0pg7jg moments before.OU0mK8s3JO
kraHvThen he raisedsR7 his handa9F to callJvOc1 for silencehDD and shouted.A7CLU2Yt
QMYp6C“It’s already late,KwJVOx so restsEMrM5 today. TomorrowuEbZ2 morning I’llXhc7i inform each94A7L group ofH0KaqV your deploymentxu6 area. ButWegxD remember this—ifd0Ln you darekOCA to slack8sT off again,PRKlqm I’ll makeI3ka you returnHbGf every single6og0 coin of2Tp the advanceO0PFAt you received.mhg6sD Burn itm51bI into your02Ib heads!”1e358z
c6Vvpr***RUNp
FGG0zALucian and hisoEFAeQ group leftepgRX the innpDkJ after finishingoJ89 the negotiation.x9YOZEctAK
vGDoGAlthough a fewaZP murmured warnings9sR could stillcZ3 be heard,9GBWj no one4RqlF dared protesteEhQU as before.eKC68sz51KzL
ZnrP7“It ended more8uZOL or lesshPKaKQ well. WithGlLUs this, I’m3SVs sure mykHOAKR older brothere1Uu will beKluJF satisfied, soPBrl let’s goyttWe back andKqVdM report toJao2U him.”4ASmB
WarWuWHearing him speakKFV as ifB6G1P0 it wereq7E something insignificant,DtnZhC Raymond swallowedFne hard. InS53SIl reality, thee6YSG outcome wasPuV far fromPBR something to5wLRZ be takenSi3 lightly.Dl4
BUy‘That he was9vHsg able toYz0WvF turn aroundY1r4uW a deadlockedL6d situation withWYn just anDBjnqR oath…’4IA
LeAAnyone who didn’t8e7OgT understand wouldUVAm2 think he1cT simply spent3AERP a fortuneoGnrV to get2M3 rid of6A7F a pieceEZDSpA of trash.FXetGwbW
JJgTBut a fewM9G platinum coinseHcmz were nothingL6ce compared tofO8wNk the benefitcYC0 Lucian hadPos gained.O61T
EMG‘By showing thezX8 platinum coins,0DF he provedRRa0 he couldYVi3f pay largeZPhiQ8 rewards. WithFJaN the oath,QKfq he removedM4k their distrust.ZpN Then hekLJ got theSVV0 mercenaries toCyd5wi turn onk66z each other,hA1cjs breaking theirHUrr unity, andklg made them4ek feel a real fearTD0ni that theZlE same couldy87 happen toYZY them.’CcW
sBLLJSaying it wasTL9sKu easy, butkRe pulling itWAK off wasdZxzXM extremely difficult.eTzLsB
9ONWhen an interestgekb group growsMLnfQ too large,znEml3 it getsvAb8v so full1O5hJ of itselfVeKI that it2ZCQ completely losesK1YDDs common sense.AFa88v3TvwO
4tzEven if someoneCqd6X tries tosXu remind themhviiC of theirYmRuCl place, theirx2SsB arrogance oftenoqWy leads toEGj3 bloodshed.pSyUTI
JbH8vFBut Lucian had9Cpr managed to6xjgbl slap them7FnH metaphorically with72Mc2l nothing butbIyQgw words and4x08E bring themdB2 back to8GV their senses.RexcjTvNWK
7HZ‘In the end,E7gUSE the mercenariesG364 lost theirQlj leader andXtG spent thezpV entire negotiationAIg dancing torohDW the tuneSnh6 of thesBM third youngiScV master. IfWnf5Vg that SvenORdE9 guy weret40 still alive—no,6QE if theirF7I unit hadn’t0tx9 been broken,xH8Xv0 several would’veQz6N refused totKSaju accept thef2dqU terms.’lCo8j
KlwAnd that’s withoutM5rcf5 even countinghN9 the processaRZ of gettingfiD them toopr the negotiationX7q table.eXWtf
oIl2rEven the conditionsbqHKZt he presentedBuyiO7 were perfect.QSXrymCbSuN4
uibXx5The total payVtnp5 remained theo9of8i same, butJGiTu he addedSxnDO absurdly highqbK bonuses forL5IdP results.
It lookedERPl1 like a risky, thinMPNl line—but in4Pnd reality, itHHUR was overwhelminglyWdavWb favorable forgfjkm House Valdeck.pbdfe5L6 HY7FaW‘The Imperial Liberationv7ADEL Alliance actstSZ so openlyraF because theybBNd believe surveillanceleGY7M is full7PiO of holes.epd Once theYN9 mercenaries, blinded1ryqIY by bonuses,QgMy start moving,e3X those guys3SC2 won’t beGcI able tosNhW4K act soOsh freely.’qOTaKk rgGGliBeing a secretLFbQv organization, theyhxag were usedycgo29 to operatingyxgG in the3AEt5 shadows.3VBfr RbQymQIf they trulypdHkH went intoZNJoh hiding, evenfA2OPr top-tier mercenaries9H1 would strugglelG9vC to find7cXbL them.5oNZ5 gP7WpWThey might catchgECcf one orYVHN9 two atcO3PL first, bute4f for theMSG3e rest ofk1P the contractj4GFC period, theySeD wouldn’t evenCCv4 see theiri7PM shadows.kPyy yHUIn contrast, thehcRQi Alliance wouldRlq6 have to697 constantly worrycAUWw about avoidingD04 the mercenaries,l8HRGa and theirkwDX operational rangebF061 would shrinkfNxH8 drastically.Er5D iXD7PfIt was, literally,y7J the bestCFeFe play—minimum cost,yrRV8t maximum enemyqi2I control.1hLEs dCq‘If there wasEA6q one weakFbQJq point inqzmqQ all this…’BVIUajYLo 9E8jO“Young master, youGLRDU handled theiJet situation splendidly.Cu33D But don’tfVaEiD you thinkrCw2u the firstaME2D bag ofiWWBK platinum coinswVjnD you threwS4T was too3JGjR full? WhateoDp7 would yousSn9Qc have donebcouy if someoneW5B had reallyrfr killed thatYiq mercenary onntmV the firstrecTYY try?”y38mka t33OHugo’s words voiceds59 exactly whatExQ3FD Raymond hadrASF been thinking.Vy3sa2dhvS bvSZ3Everything had goneYza7Tb well, butTxagJf that haddbX been a real risk.1bqlx2yOEfD ri1If a mercenarya6RGTd had beenzl1 blinded byOYYeG greed fromrugJux the firstaaah2p oath andqrRZ5d killed Sven,dMnUk the lossezMAsu would haveBD8 been absurdlyYB4w disproportionate.wp8LKn o1OkL5‘Having confidence inDqATDz a planZrDF is good.T7b But atriWw such a young age,ZBze overconfidence canz7ee easily become5fgMH arrogance.’l6E1u VPpRaymond mentally preparedVjX to give7vU4W a lightX1hr reprimand, dependingp2L on theS51qbR response.HGN cvFBut Lucian simplyL16PV smiled andoBjx tossed thebbb platinum bag.G4lvvL pxep“See for yourself.”ol90ZHCGR if1CJ“¡Hngh!”NXEiD0 aZqcGHugo flinched andG9ONv caught thenHLHnG bag withz43J1 both hands.UPyitY If evenWQFR one coin0Al had fallenqyC to theVlt9B ground, it4BHy could’ve been97Wif a disaster.s7nRsLc1Mk osF“Young master, don’te5Cwf scare medSk like that!EGRGJ What ifFkjy I had8cO dropped it?”ZqaQUlz k04I“It’s fine evenKvgN if oneZ76qJ falls. That4xDZtU bag doesn’tKXMY have anyqrn platinum coins.”p2171u A6Qh“Huh?”9Sc 33hPRV“I moved them2ziu4Q aside earlier.NKLYqN This isLtbpHg the realcp7 bag.”29pG Cw4nPfClink.KfVPHP 7aEK6LFrom Lucian’s chestmi2AEE came a small pouch.Isgi6Yv9l KlbpuyIt was barelyUh2n a quarterrwaiP the size5wA of theclR one hew6xA had thrownprl earlier.EybFh Xnm“T-then, that bag…”HKCKfSB8eM Lu2VHugo, stunned, openedcEa8M the largekNk bag. SeeingSMq its contents,k7VN0 his facewGNjH twisted.arQw 0FlSBW“They’re all silver!?”LBi1I7AR iC7“Think about it.PjpWj Do youSx3 really thinkRZm my father0bR would giveLozAB me thatCkVw many platinumerVuzc coins? EvenhVZ7Iy if heZmf supports me,eScLI there’s a limit.”SWcEu NMsz1o“So in the31lm bag you9lVt threw earlier…”2HFLdTd2 lyPZ“Except for theQBIjc1 few I placed on4HN0 top, theupJ rest wereHFTZE all silveri81ktT coins. TheIFD colors arez6Q barely distinguishable;pTB just coverd7MjPv the engraving.R14fF The onlyWCWf6 time I used actualHg10lG platinum coinsjZsiI was fortpLx the finalNwfL oath.”gCn ZDD5zUpon hearing theEKn explanation, Hugo,vDO Raymond, and1ndM even thehLs Black LionsiUux were left6Jd1q speechless.OBqgt N5CThe whole bagRG5 had beensIKJjo a bluff?KuattliG tNIu“Wait a second,CTFxT young master.WCTHXF What abouthBy the Pantheonk3iQb oath? YouK8Br promised toGcC8Y give platinum9iYWE coins.”g8HWd E0uIA“When did I say that?u42QZ I said5HO5X I’d give6mhP everything inur0b the bag.xT3MYi I neverWX8szT mentioned thatlV07BE it wasxZR7 all platinumIdgD6N coins.”NUZOwx 1NKThey all lookedugs0 at each5Ij other. Vincent,dBDTy who had7mwU the besta2j memory ofBAz them all,iBFce nodded.GxdIks pQiSm“That’s what heL7o said. TheLdl platinum coinDiO part wasEUglQf only inb4ic the firstf7XU6y offer. ButXJGh when heuqfa made theBWv oath, heZot said he’dgKmw give everythingD7qwUa in theUAmRIO bag, nothingjMm more.”gRv cK9B1“So the offer5uO and thebMcmt oath werecyVL different?”6Ou0ZC YDY2JV“Strictly speaking, evenfAO the firstvScl offer wasn’te2tvQ8 a lie.yKae He showed98UAe the bag0Vip24 while talking,ate but neverXgtws said everythingXS5LN3 inside waspr2h platinum.”HAXC5f UZ0JP2“…”hJzU eRWgIt was a stretch—but notEHRx wrong.e8gn1s COSContracts were always0dQK full ofCVcN tricks, andIQP3 the mercenariesejMI3F themselves haddpAE8 made ridiculousT1qfXy excuses untilRB3 now.aV4M JVkThe important partmCsJ was that,ABP even ifdd4nHy the firstXEG1n offer hadgAl7ma been ambiguous,4PJlIG the PantheonDQePmW oath hadv3v no issue.UrxcnNBGkP 1GSHe hadn’t promisedCLTvU a specificLwQ amount, justybgs the contentsFQa of theDZ42Rl bag.cTjn vrv6aW“And if they6h49aA had figuredQSBRus it out?znqsMn What wouldMMo you haveQsgvB done ifNkWE someone killedvORx Sven asnMh7xT soon as7xV3W you madekGSU the firstvLj8q offer?”b9pz3 zGzLX“I would’ve wrapped69krtL it upTh6DYz quickly andQE28az stashed it.0a4ue3 With a minimum ofmXkf common sense,B5jkh no oneK94e7T would openw8TkT the bagB9pJ in a place fullEDzvVh of greedyvgBy colleagues watchingRQ0qH like hawks.JIQjO6 They would’vepBzwu just lookedDe4 at thejMy4tt color.”bOi 3USWo“But even then,z1l it would’vepkxH7 been a big loss.3yw You alsoY8mopu took backOoL several platinumzl4ga coins byZ5wV canceling theZEhIX oaths.”100M om3“And whoever tookxBqLe1 the bagQeCyhF would’ve becomeEajHe everyone’s target.QZpGoJ With a sum likeyM4vD that, obviouslyor1L5 everyone would’veHss lost theiraMy minds. And74oc when theykvwyDQ later found2uVi out itAlb was full3LOzW of silver,VdgnHd no oneovErUn would believexhfvEa them.”kMco CKwgIn fact, evenI1Dh4 the mercenaryj2Jh5 who hadIlK received a few realcMrS platinum coinsOwtbQ now hadlLNj one footyTbRYT in theD6N grave.2a4Z xCdEven though theSvcL intimidation andecmU rewards hadhLF calmed thingsI1rj4 down, thereSylj were alwaysaKs fools willingGBVw to takeMCz the risky2dD4K path.YG9 NjJ6‘In my pastCaG0 life, I saw people2MYu hunted forVMm0 years overlUD far smallerl7Ngq5 amounts. WithNMuQwR luck, they’llJXVw escape andmE06r live inpR4X peace. IfVTpD not—they’ll spenddtO the restvOgqj of theirgTfTB lives looking7lOMA over their9qsH shoulders.’Dzmhd sEOjAnd even thattbG was withDAjj the reducedzmMQkc amount.fB3i3J zqiwSFIf someone hadVyBJZ9 taken theynZOr big bagUJt full ofqxH supposed platinumBCJ79 coins, survivingAlq 12 hoursXCj outside the41C inn would’veJEG already been7M8F8j a miracle.oh4gDnELE 1A4tK“And if theKeqTyn rightful ownerYJ2w of theyYN reward died,VjCQ there’d beZkpVkv no reasondMlmA to retrievew6rT it either.fmZwDH It’s notQn6olz rare fordU1v a knightLT4 to defeatED9cPn some banditsJbfRoO and earnaYM a little9V7a extra income6YAdm in thegeMK process.”7BXJK0 sQ02“…!”WsJH7
It lookedERPl1 like a risky, thinMPNl line—but in4Pnd reality, itHHUR was overwhelminglyWdavWb favorable forgfjkm House Valdeck.pbdfe5L6 HY7FaW‘The Imperial Liberationv7ADEL Alliance actstSZ so openlyraF because theybBNd believe surveillanceleGY7M is full7PiO of holes.epd Once theYN9 mercenaries, blinded1ryqIY by bonuses,QgMy start moving,e3X those guys3SC2 won’t beGcI able tosNhW4K act soOsh freely.’qOTaKk rgGGliBeing a secretLFbQv organization, theyhxag were usedycgo29 to operatingyxgG in the3AEt5 shadows.3VBfr RbQymQIf they trulypdHkH went intoZNJoh hiding, evenfA2OPr top-tier mercenaries9H1 would strugglelG9vC to find7cXbL them.5oNZ5 gP7WpWThey might catchgECcf one orYVHN9 two atcO3PL first, bute4f for theMSG3e rest ofk1P the contractj4GFC period, theySeD wouldn’t evenCCv4 see theiri7PM shadows.kPyy yHUIn contrast, thehcRQi Alliance wouldRlq6 have to697 constantly worrycAUWw about avoidingD04 the mercenaries,l8HRGa and theirkwDX operational rangebF061 would shrinkfNxH8 drastically.Er5D iXD7PfIt was, literally,y7J the bestCFeFe play—minimum cost,yrRV8t maximum enemyqi2I control.1hLEs dCq‘If there wasEA6q one weakFbQJq point inqzmqQ all this…’BVIUajYLo 9E8jO“Young master, youGLRDU handled theiJet situation splendidly.Cu33D But don’tfVaEiD you thinkrCw2u the firstaME2D bag ofiWWBK platinum coinswVjnD you threwS4T was too3JGjR full? WhateoDp7 would yousSn9Qc have donebcouy if someoneW5B had reallyrfr killed thatYiq mercenary onntmV the firstrecTYY try?”y38mka t33OHugo’s words voiceds59 exactly whatExQ3FD Raymond hadrASF been thinking.Vy3sa2dhvS bvSZ3Everything had goneYza7Tb well, butTxagJf that haddbX been a real risk.1bqlx2yOEfD ri1If a mercenarya6RGTd had beenzl1 blinded byOYYeG greed fromrugJux the firstaaah2p oath andqrRZ5d killed Sven,dMnUk the lossezMAsu would haveBD8 been absurdlyYB4w disproportionate.wp8LKn o1OkL5‘Having confidence inDqATDz a planZrDF is good.T7b But atriWw such a young age,ZBze overconfidence canz7ee easily become5fgMH arrogance.’l6E1u VPpRaymond mentally preparedVjX to give7vU4W a lightX1hr reprimand, dependingp2L on theS51qbR response.HGN cvFBut Lucian simplyL16PV smiled andoBjx tossed thebbb platinum bag.G4lvvL pxep“See for yourself.”ol90ZHCGR if1CJ“¡Hngh!”NXEiD0 aZqcGHugo flinched andG9ONv caught thenHLHnG bag withz43J1 both hands.UPyitY If evenWQFR one coin0Al had fallenqyC to theVlt9B ground, it4BHy could’ve been97Wif a disaster.s7nRsLc1Mk osF“Young master, don’te5Cwf scare medSk like that!EGRGJ What ifFkjy I had8cO dropped it?”ZqaQUlz k04I“It’s fine evenKvgN if oneZ76qJ falls. That4xDZtU bag doesn’tKXMY have anyqrn platinum coins.”p2171u A6Qh“Huh?”9Sc 33hPRV“I moved them2ziu4Q aside earlier.NKLYqN This isLtbpHg the realcp7 bag.”29pG Cw4nPfClink.KfVPHP 7aEK6LFrom Lucian’s chestmi2AEE came a small pouch.Isgi6Yv9l KlbpuyIt was barelyUh2n a quarterrwaiP the size5wA of theclR one hew6xA had thrownprl earlier.EybFh Xnm“T-then, that bag…”HKCKfSB8eM Lu2VHugo, stunned, openedcEa8M the largekNk bag. SeeingSMq its contents,k7VN0 his facewGNjH twisted.arQw 0FlSBW“They’re all silver!?”LBi1I7AR iC7“Think about it.PjpWj Do youSx3 really thinkRZm my father0bR would giveLozAB me thatCkVw many platinumerVuzc coins? EvenhVZ7Iy if heZmf supports me,eScLI there’s a limit.”SWcEu NMsz1o“So in the31lm bag you9lVt threw earlier…”2HFLdTd2 lyPZ“Except for theQBIjc1 few I placed on4HN0 top, theupJ rest wereHFTZE all silveri81ktT coins. TheIFD colors arez6Q barely distinguishable;pTB just coverd7MjPv the engraving.R14fF The onlyWCWf6 time I used actualHg10lG platinum coinsjZsiI was fortpLx the finalNwfL oath.”gCn ZDD5zUpon hearing theEKn explanation, Hugo,vDO Raymond, and1ndM even thehLs Black LionsiUux were left6Jd1q speechless.OBqgt N5CThe whole bagRG5 had beensIKJjo a bluff?KuattliG tNIu“Wait a second,CTFxT young master.WCTHXF What abouthBy the Pantheonk3iQb oath? YouK8Br promised toGcC8Y give platinum9iYWE coins.”g8HWd E0uIA“When did I say that?u42QZ I said5HO5X I’d give6mhP everything inur0b the bag.xT3MYi I neverWX8szT mentioned thatlV07BE it wasxZR7 all platinumIdgD6N coins.”NUZOwx 1NKThey all lookedugs0 at each5Ij other. Vincent,dBDTy who had7mwU the besta2j memory ofBAz them all,iBFce nodded.GxdIks pQiSm“That’s what heL7o said. TheLdl platinum coinDiO part wasEUglQf only inb4ic the firstf7XU6y offer. ButXJGh when heuqfa made theBWv oath, heZot said he’dgKmw give everythingD7qwUa in theUAmRIO bag, nothingjMm more.”gRv cK9B1“So the offer5uO and thebMcmt oath werecyVL different?”6Ou0ZC YDY2JV“Strictly speaking, evenfAO the firstvScl offer wasn’te2tvQ8 a lie.yKae He showed98UAe the bag0Vip24 while talking,ate but neverXgtws said everythingXS5LN3 inside waspr2h platinum.”HAXC5f UZ0JP2“…”hJzU eRWgIt was a stretch—but notEHRx wrong.e8gn1s COSContracts were always0dQK full ofCVcN tricks, andIQP3 the mercenariesejMI3F themselves haddpAE8 made ridiculousT1qfXy excuses untilRB3 now.aV4M JVkThe important partmCsJ was that,ABP even ifdd4nHy the firstXEG1n offer hadgAl7ma been ambiguous,4PJlIG the PantheonDQePmW oath hadv3v no issue.UrxcnNBGkP 1GSHe hadn’t promisedCLTvU a specificLwQ amount, justybgs the contentsFQa of theDZ42Rl bag.cTjn vrv6aW“And if they6h49aA had figuredQSBRus it out?znqsMn What wouldMMo you haveQsgvB done ifNkWE someone killedvORx Sven asnMh7xT soon as7xV3W you madekGSU the firstvLj8q offer?”b9pz3 zGzLX“I would’ve wrapped69krtL it upTh6DYz quickly andQE28az stashed it.0a4ue3 With a minimum ofmXkf common sense,B5jkh no oneK94e7T would openw8TkT the bagB9pJ in a place fullEDzvVh of greedyvgBy colleagues watchingRQ0qH like hawks.JIQjO6 They would’vepBzwu just lookedDe4 at thejMy4tt color.”bOi 3USWo“But even then,z1l it would’vepkxH7 been a big loss.3yw You alsoY8mopu took backOoL several platinumzl4ga coins byZ5wV canceling theZEhIX oaths.”100M om3“And whoever tookxBqLe1 the bagQeCyhF would’ve becomeEajHe everyone’s target.QZpGoJ With a sum likeyM4vD that, obviouslyor1L5 everyone would’veHss lost theiraMy minds. And74oc when theykvwyDQ later found2uVi out itAlb was full3LOzW of silver,VdgnHd no oneovErUn would believexhfvEa them.”kMco CKwgIn fact, evenI1Dh4 the mercenaryj2Jh5 who hadIlK received a few realcMrS platinum coinsOwtbQ now hadlLNj one footyTbRYT in theD6N grave.2a4Z xCdEven though theSvcL intimidation andecmU rewards hadhLF calmed thingsI1rj4 down, thereSylj were alwaysaKs fools willingGBVw to takeMCz the risky2dD4K path.YG9 NjJ6‘In my pastCaG0 life, I saw people2MYu hunted forVMm0 years overlUD far smallerl7Ngq5 amounts. WithNMuQwR luck, they’llJXVw escape andmE06r live inpR4X peace. IfVTpD not—they’ll spenddtO the restvOgqj of theirgTfTB lives looking7lOMA over their9qsH shoulders.’Dzmhd sEOjAnd even thattbG was withDAjj the reducedzmMQkc amount.fB3i3J zqiwSFIf someone hadVyBJZ9 taken theynZOr big bagUJt full ofqxH supposed platinumBCJ79 coins, survivingAlq 12 hoursXCj outside the41C inn would’veJEG already been7M8F8j a miracle.oh4gDnELE 1A4tK“And if theKeqTyn rightful ownerYJ2w of theyYN reward died,VjCQ there’d beZkpVkv no reasondMlmA to retrievew6rT it either.fmZwDH It’s notQn6olz rare fordU1v a knightLT4 to defeatED9cPn some banditsJbfRoO and earnaYM a little9V7a extra income6YAdm in thegeMK process.”7BXJK0 sQ02“…!”WsJH7
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