The early afternoon sun hung high above the trees as the shadows shrunk to small dark patches beneath the wagons and tents.

Garen walked out of the Morvath camp with his shoulders straight and his step light almost like he was bouncing with the small bag of mana stones sat tucked inside his jacket, pressing against his chest like a second heart.

He made his way back toward the scattered mini-camps where the mercenaries and criminals had set up their temporary shelters.

The ground was uneven and dust rose with every step he took. He could hear voices in the distance ranging from arguments to laughter to clink of bottles.

Yes, people were drinking in the afternoon... more of an habit for most of them especially with the criminal’s flipped day.

Then he heard engines.

Garen looked up and immediately spottted several large trucks were making their way up the path toward the Morvath camp.

They moved slowly, kicking up clouds of brown dust that drifted into the trees.

The first thing he observed was that the trucks were not the same beat-up vehicles the criminals had used.

These were newer, cleaner with no rusted metal and still new tires.

Another thing that caught his eye immediately was the distinct lack of obvious guards.

He could see drivers behind the wheels, he could see passengers sitting in the backs of some trucks but no visible guard.

Even if they didn’t have many for whatever reason, he expected a few hanging of the edge of the truck or on the roofs with weapons in hand.

’Not even a visible bike scout,’ Garen thought. ’May be they are also riding in one of the other trucks.’

He spotted a group of people in one truck although they weren’t even in uniform nor was not carrying obvious weapons... he could tell that they were basically servants/workers.

They just sat there, talking among themselves, as if they were on a Sunday drive instead of rolling through bandit-filled forest.

Then his eyes landed on a vehicle that stood out from the rest.

It was a far more expensive off-road sleek and dark vehicle.

The windows were tinted so dark that he could barely see inside. All he could make out were the shadows of at least three women and the driver.

The driver’s hands were steady on the wheel while the women sat still, their silhouettes unmoving but it was quite obvious that they talking.

That vehicle was like the ones used by rich merchants, the kind who travelled with hired bodyguards.

’These people truly can smell profit anywhere,’ Garen thought as the legend of merchants especially the filthy rich one appeared in his mind.

He watched the convoy roll past him... the drivers did not even look at him.

The expensive off-road vehicle hummed as it passed, its engine smooth and quiet.

Garen stood there for a moment, dust settling on his clothes. Then he turned and continued walking toward his own camp.

This time, he did not bother to hide his identity.

He walked openly. His boots crunched on the dry ground. His jacket flapped in the light breeze.

He nodded at a few people he passed and most of them nodded back. Some looked at him with curiosity while others looked away.

He did not care.

He had what he came for and more.

***

Garen made his way back to his camp where his friends were waiting.

By this time, the news had already spread about someone had gone into the main camp.

No one knew who nor dis anyone know why. But everyone knew it had happened.

The whispers had started from the edge of the camp and travelled outward like ripples in a pond.

And once Garen came out without his disguise, the news spread even faster.

Because now everyone could see him. A regular man at level 1 with no visible weapons and no special armour.

Just a man walking back from a place where several people had been slaughtered the night before and left on crosses in the most brutal way possible.

The bodies split open with organs hanging out and heads crushed like overripe fruit was still making people unnerved.

And he had walked in there most likely talked to someone and walked back out, alive, unharmed and smiling... from such a place.

Whatever he did or got there... they wanted to know.

***

A large man with a scar across his cheek stepped into Garen’s path.

He crossed his arms over his chest allowing his shadow fell over Garen like a dark cloud.

"How did you do it?" the man asked with his voice was deep and rough. "How did you get in there without getting killed?"

Garen looked up at him without flinching. He did not step back.

"I walked in... I mean everyone literally saw me walk in," Garen said.

The man’s eyes narrowed. "Walked? That is all?"

"That is all... I mean everyone saw it." Garen stepped around him and kept walking.

And he was not the only one.

A woman with dirty blonde hair and a missing tooth grabbed his sleeve. Her grip was tight and her nails were biting into his skin.

She looked like what you will expect a drug addict to look like in a cultivation world.

"Did you see the bodies up close?" she asked. Her voice was eager. "Did you see their faces?"

Garen looked down at her hand on his sleeve.

Then he looked at her face, he truly didn’t know how to respond to this one so he simply pulled his arm free and walked on.

He hope it would stop there but... No.

Two young men fell into step beside him with one on his left and the other on his right.

They were twins... obviously with the same face, same height.

"You made a deal with them, did you not?" the left twin asked.

"Or maybe you sold them something," the right twin added.

Garen kept his eyes forward.

"And I did have a conversation," he said.

"About what?" both twins asked at the same time.

Garen stopped walking, he turned to face them with his expression did not change.

"About the weather," he said. "About the price of grain in the southern territories. About whether fish dream at night."

He waited.

The twins stared at him. Their mouths opened. Then closed. Then opened again.

Garen turned and continued walking.

***

By the time he reached the tent where Ardeth and the rest of his teammates were waiting, a small crowd had gathered behind him.

They did not get too close... just close enough to watch and listen.

Garen pushed open the tent flap and stepped inside.

Ardeth sat on a wooden crate in the centre of the tent with his arms were crossed and his face was unreadable.

The four other teammates stood around him, their eyes fixed on the entrance.

The tent flap fell closed behind Garen, the murmuring from outside faded to a low hum.

Ardeth studied Garen for a long moment, his eyes scanning Garen’s face to his jacket to his boots. He was looking for something. Anything.

When he didn’t find anything he finally spoke first.

"You went into the camp," Ardeth said. It was not a question.

"Yes," Garen said.

"And you came back alive."

"Yes."

Ardeth uncrossed his arms as he leaned forward. His elbows rested on his knees.

"What did you offer them?" he asked. "What did you promise?"

"I don’t think I can even hide this for long even if I tried," Garen said with a wide smile on his face.

The room stayed silent and Ardeth’s face immediately fell as he scanned Garen’s face.

"Sit down," Ardeth said finally. "And start from the beginning."

Garen nodded, he dragged over a stool, sat down and he began to talk.

"I gave Leader of the Camp someone know as Lady Talia the holographic video of Jack coming to meet us." Garen did not bother lying after all he wanted the word to know that he was the one that fucked Jack over.

That would most definitely damage his reputation but he did not care.

Ardeth frowned, "I told you to let it go."

"I know but I couldn’t... He will most likely be tortured in the most brutal way and I am happy to say that I contributed to it." Garen said without remorse.

"I fucking told you to let it go!" Ardeth snapped.

"Just because you owed his father, doesn’t mean he gets to get away with what he did to me!" Garen snapped back.

"You owe me... you owe me and I used the debt to settle that of Jack’s." Ardeth face was already red.

"I know... that is why I am here with this." Garen reached into his clothes and pulled out the small bag.

He raised it up and dumped the mana-stones on the table between them.

"I hope this covers my debt and if not... I will try to repay the rest in the future." Garen continued.

(A.N.: Sorry guys for the late and little update.

Now I owe 5 Chapters... Don’t worry, I have no plans of dropping this novel anytime soon.)