Chapter 30: Contact

After determining that the situation before him was extremely unfavorable for his subsequent actions, Dean chose to give up very decisively.

Afterward, he began to simply clean up the battlefield, focusing mainly on the special bolts of the hand crossbow and the thief’s corpse—the former were clearly impossible to craft near the Tier Territory, so if possible, Dean did not mind using them repeatedly; and as for the latter, being a thief, it naturally had considerable value to be searched.

After a brief but complete search of ten-plus seconds on the latter’s corpse, Dean found several bottles of potions awaiting identification, two daggers of different lengths and thicknesses, and several flying knives. After that, there were only several Gold Pultons left; there were no items proving his identity at all.

“A very standard thief style!”

With such an evaluation, Dean began to arrange the scene this time. After a simple arrangement, the whole room became messy, appearing to have gone through a sudden but slightly lasting fight—making people think instantly that this was a fight from the inside, but undoubtedly, both sides had such a mindset.

Therefore, it seemed both sudden and lasting.

Based on what Dean had seen in the secret room and the appearance of the thief, a Black-on-Black scenario was clearly the most appropriate.

After making full use of the room, especially those bloodstains, Dean acted in two stages. He first hid the thief’s corpse in a bush at a corner of Mold’s courtyard. After confirming that one would absolutely not discover it without getting close, Dean then truly left—in fact, such a method of disposing of the corpse was absolutely considered rough, but with the premise that the Tax Officer Mold might return at any time, this was already the best method.

Of course, what was more important was that Dean was hinting to the other party that another thief had left in a hurry.

As for the reason for the hurry?

Being injured was definitely a good reason—Dean dripped some scattered blood in the Tax Officer’s courtyard, just like a bandaged wound bursting open due to movement.

And such an arrangement would undoubtedly mislead the other party while winning Dean a little time—

“Mold returns home, finds the situation is wrong, and will first carefully search the house, and then expand the search outside, discovering the bloodstains I intentionally left—because of the secret room, Mold needs at least five minutes, or even more, to search the room… Then, I can gain at least about ten minutes!”

Dean estimated in his heart, while his feet did not stop at all as he returned to ‘Snow Bear’s Home’; clearly, for the small Tier Town, ten minutes was enough for Dean to return to ‘Snow Bear’s Home’.

“Did you gain anything?”

The inn owner, Huck, waved his only left hand, greeting Dean as he walked in—it was not that Dean had anything special, but Huck treated every guest of his so friendly and enthusiastic; of course, the premise was that you did not touch his bottom line.

Otherwise, you would end up like that unlucky Southern merchant.

“No, it’s harder than I imagined!”

Dean deliberately put on a bitter face, shrugged his shoulders, and sat in front of the bar counter.

“Rest assured, there is nothing you cannot get past!”

The tall inn owner comforted Dean with words that completely did not fit his own image, while several familiar merchants nearby whistled and heckled—

“Our boss Huck has become a philosopher again!”

“Come on, a toast to our ‘Philosopher Huck’!”

“Cheers!”

…

Facing the merchants’ heckling, Huck first cursed fiercely: “If you keep this up, your wine money will double!”

However, very quickly, he laughed along with the numerous merchants—for Huck, a former member of the Knight Order and now an inn owner, such jokes were harmless, and he was even happy to see them, because this would make him feel like he had returned to the Military Camp.

“Please, have this!”

After laughing loudly, Huck was undoubtedly in a good mood. He directly poured Dean a glass of wine—it was not the strong liquor served with meals before, but a kind of rum.

In fact, not everyone could appreciate that kind of strong liquor, and compared to that throat-burning strong liquor, rum, which was mostly made from sugarcane molasses, was more widely loved. Even the locals of the Tier Territory would not refuse a glass of rum; of course, most of the time, the price of rum was also something that made the locals of the Tier Territory hesitate.

Perhaps in the Three Southern Counties, an ordinary glass of rum cost only two or three Copper Coins, but after arriving in the Northland, especially near the Tier Territory close to the Snowplains Dense Forest, the long and dangerous transport covering taxes and crises was enough to make its price climb three times, four times, or even more.

Therefore, a glass of rum in the Tier Territory was considered an enjoyment.

Thus, Dean exhibited the caution of a merchant—

“Re-really?”

Dean asked cautiously.

“Of course it’s true!”

“Our Huck is ‘Generous Huck’!”

Before Huck could answer himself, the surrounding merchants heckled again. This time, Huck once again shouted loudly at his customers. Amidst the deafening shouts, to prove to Dean that he meant what he said, Huck picked up the wine bottle again and poured Dean a second glass.

“I’ll treat you to another glass!”

The inn owner waved his hand and spoke like this.

“Lucky kid!”

“You’ve gained Huck’s favor!”

The drinkers in the inn hall were clearly used to their boss’s habits and were not overly surprised; however, the heckling still occurred.

It was just that this time, although Huck’s shout was still as loud as thunder, he did not pour Dean another glass.

Although Huck was tall and looked rough, he was not truly stupid. He was very clear about his inn’s daily income and his expenses.

Occasionally being generous, Huck did not mind, but a generosity that lost money, Huck would not do.

“I am truly grateful to you!”

Dean showed the immaturity of a young merchant who had ‘left home for the first time’. He took the glass filled with rum to his side while taking out his money bag, insisting on paying; but very unluckily, the young man who was treated like this for the first time after ‘leaving home’ was a bit flustered. He not only knocked over one of the glasses, but his money bag also fell to the ground.

Bang!

Clatter!

The first was the sound of a wooden cup falling to the ground, and the latter was the money bag. Undoubtedly, compared to the former, the latter attracted people more, especially when a golden light flashed from the mouth of the bag. The merchants in the inn hall stared there without blinking, as if they were hungry wolves seeing meat.

And such a scene undoubtedly made Dean, this young man, appear even more ‘flustered’, not knowing what to do, until Huck picked up the money bag and put it in his arms. Only then did he seem to come back to his senses.

“Thank you, thank you!”

Dean kept saying thanks.

“Hold on to your money bag. Be careful when you are out alone!”

Huck waved his hand indifferently. Then, his large remaining left hand slapped heavily on the bar counter with a ‘bang’. Immediately, he woke up the surrounding merchants. Huck scanned these people and said very seriously: “Snow Bear’s Home is my territory. The rules here are set by me, understand?”

“Of course, of course!”

“That’s right, that’s right!”

Those merchants who were attracted by the Gold Pulton and were even dumbfounded immediately nodded repeatedly. After all, they did not want to be thrown out.

However, when Huck withdrew his gaze, these people exchanged glances with each other. One or two even chose to get up and leave directly. Moreover, the originally noisy atmosphere in the hall became strangely quiet.

Undoubtedly, this made Dean, the young man who ‘left home for the first time’, appear very uneasy.

“I want to go back to my room!”

After finishing the remaining glass of rum, Dean said to Huck.

“En, that’s good… if you don’t need anything, don’t leave your room—before you know what you are doing!”

The inn owner nodded and kindly reminded Dean. The latter put on a look of being distracted and ran stumbling towards the second floor. When stepping on the stairs, he slipped accidentally and almost fell—and with such an action, there was another clear ‘clatter’ sound of Gold Pulton colliding.

Once again, it attracted the people in the inn hall.

Regarding this, Huck could not help but sigh helplessly—at most, he was just protecting the safety of this poor kid in the inn. Once he left the inn…

Scanning the guys in the hall, Huck sighed helplessly again.

There were several guys here who did ‘double business’, and clearly, they targeted that kid—and he could not truly stop them.

After all, the Tier Territory had its own rules, and the rules were different during the day and at night.

As a disabled man missing an arm, he could not ignore these rules, whether they were for the day or the night!

Reaching out to touch his empty right sleeve, Huck’s originally decent mood immediately became terrible.

…

And after returning to his room and confirming there was no surveillance or tracking, Dean let out a long breath. At the same time, he secretly apologized in his heart to Huck, this former member of the Knight Order.

After all, Dean was very clear that doing what he did before would bring pain to this man who seemed not to mind losing his right arm but was actually brooding over it—that feeling of powerlessness, Dean had experienced it too, so he was very clear; therefore, he decided to compensate this former Knight Order inn owner afterward.

However, that would be afterward!

As for now?

What Dean needed was to wait for darkness—to wait for the Goth spies lurking in the Tier Territory to meet after dark.

That’s right, the previous scene, apart from letting the identity he was playing now ‘die’ smoothly, was more about leaving a secret signal to attract the Goth spies to meet him.

Using one or two spy dead soldiers to get rid of that Tax Officer, although in terms of long-term value, was not worthwhile, but ‘receiving’ the Knight Order was the most important thing for Dean—if he could not even solve the immediate matter, then there would be no future to speak of; therefore, even if it was not worthwhile, Dean would not hesitate.

And wanting to leave a secret signal under Huck’s nose was not an easy thing.

Therefore, Dean had to throw out items to ‘attract attention’.

And what was more suitable than the Gold Pulton obtained from that Tax Officer’s secret room?

As for giving up the current identity?

A murder occurred in the Tax Officer’s house in the town, and a merchant who had just checked into ‘Snow Bear’s Home’ disappeared. Even an ordinary person would be suspicious—although that Tax Officer himself would be suspicious and focus his attention on the local Thieves Guild people, ‘Snow Bear’s Home’ boss Huck was someone who did not know the inside story, and he himself was a man who was rough on the outside but detailed on the inside.

Dean absolutely did not want any accidents in his plan, so it was better for this newly appeared ‘identity’ to ‘die’.

After all, dead men tell no tales, right?