The hall of the Resting Dragon's Nest Tavern.
In a corner with a wide field of vision, there was a table from which one could simultaneously see the tavern's main entrance and the stairs to the second floor.
*Creak.*
As if unable to withstand the weight of the metal plate armor, the four legs of the chair trembled slightly against the floor, letting out a shrill groan.
Trewilliam leaned back, resting lightly against the chair.
A natural and friendly smile still lingered on his handsome face.
Behind him, the dining table where Xia Nan's group had been sitting was now empty save for a few plates; a tavern waiter was briskly clearing the surface.
From the stairwell leading to the second floor, the sound of receding footsteps could be faintly heard.
"Captain, what do you think?"
Beside his ear, a subordinate leaned in and asked in a lowered voice.
"Probably not." The smile on his face gradually vanished as his fingertip tapped the table, replaced by a look of deeper contemplation.
Trewilliam shook his head imperceptibly.
"Perhaps it was just a coincidence that they were passing through."
"Really that coincidental?" The knight sitting opposite him, also wearing standard-issue gear but of slightly inferior quality, said in surprise, "Just at this moment, the second son of a City Lord from distant Neum suddenly appears in Molten Scale Town?"
"Captain, I don't think it's that simple."
Trewilliam did not reply to this; he simply poured himself a glass of ice water.
He drank it in one gulp and wiped the moisture from the corner of his mouth.
Those eyes, which had never shown a shred of kindness before Haian and the others, now held only the same coldness that had just flowed down his throat into his chest.
As the youngest Knight Commander under Duke Morton's domain, he had raised his professional level to lv5 before the age of thirty and was a [Silver-Plated Knight] currently seeking a class advancement.
Among the five accompanying knights who were also professionals, Trewilliam held the highest authority and served as the squad leader.
The reason they had crossed the mountains from the Sticky Tree Domain to come to Molten Scale Town was naturally not for a pleasure trip or a delivery mission.
The reason he had just given for refusing to escort Haian back to his territory was not a randomly fabricated excuse.
He truly had urgent business that required him to remain in the town.
Trewilliam knew of the "Hound's Tooth Squad" and recognized their leader, Lawson.
He also knew very well what those audacious adventurers had been plotting.
To break into the lair of an adult red dragon and safely retrieve a treasure was something even Lord Duke Morton would find difficult.
The "Hound's Tooth Squad" had planned this operation for nearly two years. As a former colleague—though Lawson had already left his post by the time Trewilliam became a professional—Lawson's abnormal behavior had been discovered by the Duke's spies a year ago.
The bulk purchase of detection and removal tools for magic traps, fire resistance potions, and even a bid on a Dragon-Slaying Dagger at an auction house...
For anyone intent on investigating, it was not hard to guess the "Hound's Tooth Squad's" plan.
And their target, given that the squad leader Lawson had once served as a guard in the Duke's manor and likely knew some secrets—and was even a survivor of the red dragon attack—was most likely only one thing
The lost heirloom of Duke Morton.
To be honest, regarding the Hound's Tooth Squad's fanciful plan, neither he nor the Duke believed that an adventurer squad without a single transcendent-level professional could have any chance of success.
But since it concerned the Morton family's legacy treasure, no matter how small the possibility—even if it were 0.001%—it was necessary to confirm.
This was why Trewilliam and his group remained in Molten Scale Town.
Stationed at the only human settlement near the red dragon's lair, regardless of whether the Hound's Tooth Squad's plan succeeded, as long as anyone survived, they would have to come here for supplies and rest.
Failure was expected, but if Lawson and the others had truly been graced by the Goddess of Luck...
The Morton family treasure should naturally be delivered back to the territory by the Duke's most loyal and brave knights.
The moment Lawson returned to town, the scouts they had specifically left at the entrance reported the situation to Trewilliam and his men, allowing them to lie in wait at the Resting Dragon's Nest Tavern based on the route.
What he hadn't expected was that before seeing Lawson, Trewilliam first saw that silver-haired, silver-eyed half-elf with a longbow on his back at the tavern entrance.
—Haian Wickliffe.
The second son of the Lord of Neum.
Due to the relationship between the Duke and Lord Wickliffe, Trewilliam and Haian shared some acquaintance.
Given the other's personality, Haian likely already considered him a close friend.
Trewilliam naturally would not refuse such a free channel of connection, but if such a relationship affected his status in the Morton family or delayed this opportunity to obtain advancement resources...
He knew how to prioritize.
Currently, considering the high-level changes in Neum that he had heard about a while ago, it was reasonable for Haian to travel such a distance to seek refuge in the Abyss Gauze Province.
But as his subordinate had just said, it was too coincidental.
Precisely at the moment Lawson ended his operation and returned to the tavern, Haian's group happened to appear.
This made him harbor doubts in his heart, even if he claimed to believe the story that the other was just passing through Molten Scale Town.
According to the other, the experienced senior guard Wood, who usually never left his side, was also in town.
Perhaps Haian, like himself, was not lying, but was merely concealing some key information.
For example, fleeing from Neum might be a fact, but passing through Molten Scale Town at this moment was intentional.
It was for the sake of the legacy treasure lost by the Duke.
After all, if the rumors were true, the rise of the Morton family was based on this object. If the half-elf obtained it, the current predicament of the Wickliffe family would be solved instantly.
Whether it was firmly reclaiming the position of Lord of Neum or choosing another place to start over, both were good options.
Furthermore, the two adventurers beside Haian whom he had glimpsed just now did not look like normal guards at all.
First, the woman named "Vireul"—it went without saying.
Without a doubt, she was a spellcaster, and a proper one with professional levels, not a mere mage apprentice.
To hire her as an accompanying guard, the Wickliffe family had clearly paid a considerable sum.
Then, there was the taciturn black-haired youth with a sharp aura.
Undoubtedly a professional, though his specific level was unknown.
But Trewilliam could be certain that the other's strength was definitely not weak.
That condensed aura formed from long-term regular training and a vast accumulation of actual combat.
Compared to the bottom-tier adventurers in the tavern who were stuck with trash commissions, living day by day and wasting all their gold on card tables and prostitutes, he was recognizable at a glance.
Even though he was too young and didn't participate much in the conversation between him and Haian, Trewilliam could be completely sure that this black-haired youth was far more troublesome than he appeared.
"Do not create unnecessary complications until they take actual action that affects our plan," Trewilliam instructed his subordinates at the table.
"Manpower is limited; keep your primary focus on the target."
"But do not let your guard down. If it's confirmed that they have clear, targeted movements... remember to deal with the spellcaster first, and clean up the aftermath. The second son of a failing Lord of Neum doesn't have much impact."
Trewilliam naturally did not want a direct conflict with Haian's group; unknown strength was one reason, and the other was that he didn't want to lose a decent connection.
But if it involved his mission target, compared to the temptation of advancement, that would naturally be a different story.
Right now, the most critical thing was to confirm whether the Hound's Tooth Squad's plan had succeeded and if they had brought Duke Morton's treasure back from the dragon's nest.
Judging solely by Lawson's behavior after entering the inn, their squad's progress didn't seem smooth.
But considering the red dragon that had flown over Molten Scale Town a few days ago—whose very wingbeats carried overwhelming rage—and the fact that Lawson appeared in the tavern alone without a single teammate by his side...
Trewilliam guessed that perhaps Lawson's plan had only been half-successful.
The heirloom had been stolen from the dragon's nest by their squad through some means.
But due to internal strife or the appearance of a third party, Lawson had failed to get his hands on the item.
Of course, he couldn't rule out the possibility that the other had discovered their presence and was intentionally feigning failure to mislead them.
"Keep a close eye on everything these next two days!"
An event with slim odds had suddenly taken a turn in just half a day.
If he could return that heirloom to the Duke's hands, let alone the bottleneck he currently faced, even the "Transcendent" level he once dared not dream of seemed not so unreachable with the tilt of the Morton family's resources.
Trewilliam suddenly became excited, and an indescribable fervor appeared on his handsome face.
"What about the back door of the inn? Are Gilly and the others guarding it?"
"Shift change just happened; Grove has already taken over."
"Mm. In a bit, spend some money to find out Lawson's room from the front desk, and book several rooms next to him to make surveillance easier."
"Yes, I'll do it immediately!"
"Don't rush, wait..."
The group sat in the corner, discussing their next plan in voices only they could hear, interspersed with coded language.
One of the knights responsible for watching the tavern door suddenly spoke up
"'Rotten Toe'? In broad daylight, why does this guy have time to come here? The Resting Dragon's Nest isn't his turf."
Trewilliam's gaze followed.
What entered his sight was a balding man with a fierce expression who walked with a limp, followed by several thug-like lackeys.
Having been stationed in town for many days, he had already identified several well-known figures in Molten Scale Town.
"Rotten Toe" was one of them.
In truth, no further introduction was needed; his vulgar nickname alone was enough to show his notoriety in town.
Coming from an adventurer background, he was not only the owner of the only casino in town but also privately involved in the slave trade.
Although there was certainly a significant gap between him and Trewilliam's knight squad, in a remote place like Molten Scale Town, he was considered a figure of some influence.
At least for the ordinary people in town, if they offended him, they would have absolutely no room to resist.
But strangely, this leader of the dark underworld, who usually only appeared at night and avoided the light, was currently drenched in sweat and rushed into the Resting Dragon's Nest—which was not within his sphere of influence—with a look of tension.
The tavern receptionist, who had mistaken him for someone coming to smash the place, shrank back violently, wishing he could hide directly under the counter.
Trewilliam signaled his brothers not to act rashly.
He simply sat at the table, quietly watching "Rotten Toe" hurry to the front desk, surrounded by his lackeys.
After a few hurried words and tossing down two silver coins, he led his men rushing up to the second floor.
In just a few dozen seconds, another sound of footsteps came from the stairs.
But this time, besides Rotten Toe and his group, another gloomy figure descended from upstairs.
"Lawson!"
Trewilliam's pupils contracted, and his mind raced.
He immediately guessed that the other's reaction was likely related to the treasure the Hound's Tooth Squad had stolen from the dragon's lair.
With a few glances, he completed the communication with the knights at the table.
The moment Lawson rushed out of the inn following Rotten Toe, Trewilliam led his men in pursuit.
"So much rushing, where are all these people coming from?"
Luca, holding a large bag of supplies and standing at the tavern entrance, looked puzzled as he made way for the two waves of people.
He was not the type to like trouble, so even as a professional, he didn't have much of a temper.
As they brushed past him, he scratched his head in confusion, watching the backs of the middle-aged men and knights disappear into the crowd.
Without thinking much of it, he simply used his free left hand to lightly touch his chest, feeling the cold, hard, rounded object placed close to his body.
Only then did he tighten his grip on the supply bag, walk into the inn to ask the receptionist for the room number, and head up to the second floor.
...
...
"So, you found this thing while searching two slave traders?"
Haian stared at the oval metal object in his hand, his silver-gray eyes reflecting the faint characters constantly shifting on the object's surface, and asked in surprise.
"Hehe." Luca grinned foolishly, as if he had achieved some great feat. "I found it on the gnome they had tied up. It was just sticking out of the clothes, so I saw it."
"And where are they? Did you chase them away?"
"That gnome had already breathed his last by the time I arrived. The two slave traders were quite fierce; I didn't control my strength for a moment and snapped their necks."
"But that alley is quite secluded. I didn't see anyone when I went over, so I dragged their bodies further into the alley. There might not even be anyone to find them by the time we leave town."
"You were a bit reckless this time. Luckily those two slave traders were just ordinary people, if..."
"Can I see it?"
A voice suddenly sounded from the other side of the room, interrupting Haian's words.
"Of course!"
Without any hesitation, he handed over the oval metal object of unknown use.
Xia Nan reached out and took it.
In her vision, the semi-transparent characters representing the attribute panel had already been floating in the void for a long time.
(End of Chapter)