Chapter Eleven: Ambushed at the Inn

  As Javier said, after that night's banquet, their inn became lively.

  Every day, merchants and nobles came to visit Javier. In addition to the propaganda effect of that night, Javier's bold move to take down half of Orlat City's most luxurious hotel also clearly demonstrated the strength of the Lovell Chamber of Commerce.

  Javier has been incredibly busy lately, with one group leaving and several others waiting to be received, to the point where the hotel's lobby has become his personal waiting room, filled with people who have come to see him.

  Javier was incredibly busy, while the bodyguards led by Raymond had nothing to do. After all, Javier no longer went out, and those who came to the inn were all big shots in Orlate, so it's unlikely that anyone would come to cause trouble.

  It had been several days like this when one evening Javier suddenly called for Raymond.

  "Lord Raymond, I think you should bring a few people with me for a trip tonight." he said.

  "Where are we going?" Ramon asked. This was Javier's first request to go out in days, and at such a late hour.

  Javier said: "I need to go somewhere to see an important person."

  "Why doesn't he come here?" Raymond asked in puzzlement: "And at this time too."

  "Because the other party's identity is relatively sensitive and it's not convenient for him to appear in front of outsiders, so he hopes to arrange a secret meeting." Javier explained: "This person is very important, if we can establish a relationship with him, it will be very beneficial to our future business."

  "So I hope you can accompany me on a trip." He requested: "Don't bring too many people, so as not to attract attention, just a few will do."

  He said so, and Raymond nodded: "Good, I understand."

  Raymond then roused Bastert, Hillerns and Harlott to escort Javier to the meeting place overnight.

  Because they had been cooped up in the inn for so many days, Bastet was already bored to tears, and now that she heard they were going out, she was overjoyed and couldn't stop cheering. Harlot, on the other hand, who had been disturbed from her good dream, looked very unwilling.

  After a simple preparation, the group left the inn and headed towards the outer city of Orlate.

  But no one could have imagined that this secret meeting would turn out to be so thrilling.

  The outer city of Orlate, even at midnight, is still bustling with activity. Unlike the inner city, there are no grand and majestic buildings here. The houses are built randomly, crowded together, making full use of every inch of space and land, resulting in a chaotic yet vibrant area, with streets and alleys that crisscross like a spider web.

  People who come here for the first time are likely to be dizzy from these irregularly distributed streets, fortunately, Raymond's destination is located in a conspicuous and easy-to-find place.

  "The War God's Hand", this inn is located at the corner of two major streets, behind which is a small alley with dirty water overflowing everywhere, emitting a foul smell. Its eye-catching signboard is a gold-painted wooden board in the shape of a hand.

  A group of people walked to the entrance, not yet inside, when a burst of noise came from within, interspersed with men's coarse laughter and women's shrill screams.

  "Are you sure it's here?" Hillnis asked with a frown.

  Javier took another look at the sign and nodded: "That's right, it's here. If used for a secret meeting, it won't attract attention."

  Then a group of people pushed the door and entered. As the door was pushed open, everyone in the lobby on the first floor of the inn, which also did business as a tavern, turned their heads to look at several people. For a moment, there was dead silence, and the atmosphere was very strange.

  Just as Haruhi was unconsciously checking herself to see if there was anything wrong with her, the crowd suddenly turned back and went about their own business, and the laughter and chatter started up again.

  "Ah, honored guest, will you be dining or lodging?" The innkeeper came forward immediately, a tall and large man with a red nose and a warm smile on his face.

  "Give me a room." Javier tossed him a gold coin: "Also, if someone comes looking for Mr. Vile later, bring them to see me."

  Upon hearing this, the innkeeper's eyes flickered with a hint of unusual color, but he quickly regained his trademark smile and nodded obsequiously: "No problem, please follow me."

  Treading on the creaking wooden staircase, the boss led everyone to the second floor of the inn. From where they went upstairs, there were two long corridors, one to the left and one to the right, many wooden boards had cracks due to lack of maintenance, a large amount of dust accumulated at the foot of the wall, the rotten spider web hung down like silk, swaying slightly with everyone's footsteps. The doors of the rooms marked with room numbers were tightly closed, and it was impossible to tell if there were other guests staying in them.

  "These wooden parts have been damaged by insects." Raymond tapped the handrail on the 2nd floor carefully: "It seems that with just a slight vibration, it might collapse."

  "Maybe." The boss shrugged indifferently: "But looking at all of you being so gentlemanly, how could you do such a rude thing? Haha..." Seeing his optimistic face, I didn't worry about it at all.

  He stopped in front of room 10 and handed Javier the key: "Have a good rest."

  When the boss finally came downstairs with a pleased smile, Javier opened the door and everyone was stunned by the scene before their eyes.

  "Is this a pigsty?"

  The room was probably ten times dirtier than the outside, with a thick layer of dust accumulated on both the floor and the simple wooden table, and with each step they took, puffs of smoke rose up.

  "Good grief, I know we're looking for a low-key place, but this is a bit too much, isn't it?" Hillnis said, covering her nose.

  Although he was a spirit who grew up in the mortal world, due to his nature, he still wasn't quite adapted to an overly dirty environment.

  "Uh..." Javier also felt a bit awkward: "The other party did indeed request to meet here, maybe they didn't know this hotel was like this either..."

  "Hmm, what's wrong?" Harlotte swaggered into the room.

  "You're all too pampered. Think back to when I was living in a place that was much worse than this, and yet I'm still alive and well." He said with satisfaction.

  "That's because you were meant for a place like this." Hillnis said with a look of disgust.

  Harriet dramatically fell backwards onto the bed: "Now you know what adaptability is."

  Suddenly, it was as if someone had poured a large bag of flour over the headboard, and in an instant, the bed sheet rose up with a huge cloud of dust, engulfing Harriet completely. Then, there were a few squeaks, and several scrawny old mice scurried out from under the bed, followed by a large group of cockroaches.

  "Damn it!" Harlot cursed loudly as he emerged from the dusty smoke, his whole body already covered in a layer of gray dust.

  "Hahaha..." The cat girl burst out laughing carelessly.

  "Boss! Boss!" Angrily rushing to the corridor, Harlot with a head full of dust shouted downstairs: "Come over here, is this a place for humans to live?"

  The boss was called over, and after Javiel spent another 10 silver coins, the shopkeeper finally agreed to send someone to clean up. After a lot of fuss, the room was finally tidied up enough for people to live in.

  Then just wait for the other party to arrive.

  Hirnis still refused to enter the house and stood outside as a guard while the others waited inside.

  Time passed bit by bit, and the noise from outside the house gradually decreased, indicating that the streets outside were also gradually quieting down under the cover of night, but the person who was supposed to come still had no sign.

  "When did you guys make plans?" Raymond couldn't help but ask.

  Javier was also getting anxious, he wiped the sweat from his forehead: "The other party only said that they would meet me here tonight, but didn't mention a specific time, maybe something came up."

  It's clear that the other party's identity is very important, and Javier is looking forward to this meeting very much.

  "Then I'll go out and take a look."

  He walked out of the room, only to see Xier standing at the railing of the corridor outside the door. The dim light in the house cast a shadow on his tall and slender back, making this elf look even more desolate than usual.

  "What are you thinking?" Raymond walked up beside him and leaned against the railing like Hillnis.

  Hillnis looked at him for a moment, then said, "Actually, I don't dislike the environment here as much as I said earlier. In fact, I have a bit of a sense of familiarity in this place."

  Without waiting for Raymond to speak, he gazed forward with both eyes and said to himself: "Unlike the rumors, I was actually stolen from the forest by slave traders when I was still an infant, so until now I don't know who my biological parents are or which tribe I belong to. For a fairy child like me, once kidnapped, there are only a few outcomes: either being sent to the thieves' guild for training, or being sold to a brothel, or becoming a plaything for the rich."

  "I was lucky, when I was being prepared to be transferred to another continent at a certain port, I happened to meet my foster father who was on a mission there and unexpectedly rescued me. After that, I followed him and traveled with the mercenary group from place to place. My combat skills were learned during those days, on the battlefield."

  He didn't expect him to suddenly bring up his own life story. Raymond was surprised and asked: "Then how did you end up in Auston?"

  Xier Nis smiled: "Because my adoptive father is from Auster, his greatest wish is to retire and use the money he saved to buy a farm in Auster, where he can spend his old age."

  "But at that time, I was already accustomed to the days of fighting. Due to my own humble origins, I crazily wanted to regain honor on the battlefield, so as a mercenary archer, I always charged forward first. Probably at that time, in my subconscious mind, I just wanted to die in battle somewhere and be done with it. A spirit who didn't even know his own tribe's origin, blending in with the human world every day, that sense of frustration made me almost go mad."

  "So, my foster father had no choice but to continue staying on the battlefield, using his increasingly frail body to protect this useless son of his, until one day..."

  At this point, Hillis covered his face with both hands and his shoulders shook slightly.

  "It wasn't until after my foster father's body had turned to ashes that I realized just how childish and selfish I had been all along, my foster father... was actually killed by me."

  From between the fingers of the elf's hands came his choked words.

  Looking at Hillnis, who was revealing his true feelings at this moment, Raymond also felt a lot of emotions. When he decided to leave the Beastman Empire, was he also driven by a reckless emotion like him?

  But his mother didn't say anything, probably that was also her way of protecting this stubborn son.

  He said: "So you've arrived at Aston?"

  Hillnis nodded, rubbed his face with his hand and wiped away the faint tears: "After my foster father died, I followed his will and sent him back to Auston for burial. There, I suddenly woke up and realized how much of a fool I was before, squandering the life given by my foster father."

  "So I decided to stay there and replace my foster father in protecting that peaceful little town."

  "It was like that." Raymon suddenly realized, no wonder Auston had a fairy guard captain.

  "So, you know, when I was a mercenary, I didn't spend much time in these kinds of dirty and shabby inns. I've stayed in worse places than this before. When I came in just now, I even felt a little sense of familiarity."

  "Now I finally know where you got all those dirty words from." Raymond said with a smile.

  Hillnis stared at him for a while, then laughed: "Ha, I'm getting more and more fond of you."

  At this time, the last customer in the tavern downstairs got up and left unsteadily. The entire inn fell silent, with dim lights shining on the empty tables and chairs. A broken window creaked under the wind, making a faint eerie feeling.

  "Boss, are you ready to close up?" Raymond asked loudly, wondering why the other party had not arrived yet.

  However, the empty inn had no one to answer, and the boss of the store also disappeared at some unknown time.

  "Strange." Raymond called out a few more times, but the only response was an eerie silence.

  "Not good, something might happen." A deep sense of unease flashed through his mind, and Raymond warned Hillnis, "You stay here and keep watch, sound the alarm at the first sign of trouble."

  She followed him and rushed into the house.

  "What's going on? What happened?" Javier asked in surprise as he heard Raymond ask him to leave.

  "This inn is strange, I'm afraid there's something wrong." Raymond said: "To be on the safe side, we'd better leave quickly."

  "But they haven't arrived yet..." Javier still couldn't bear to give up this opportunity.

  "No time for that, don't forget where we are," Raymond cut in.

  "It's best not to be too careless just because we've been popular these past few days. If someone wants to harm us, this is the perfect place!" Raymond's usual gentle tone was tinged with a sternness that matched the urgency of the situation.

  It was the first time Javier saw Raymond look so stern, he opened his mouth and finally gave in: "I understand, I'll reschedule the meeting with the other party."

  "Alright, let's hurry." Raymond nodded.

  At this time, Basute suddenly said: "Young master, wait a minute."

  "What's wrong?"

  The cat girl with erect ears listening: "Outside, it seems that many people have come and surrounded the house."

  Raimon walked to the window and looked out.

  The desolate street was empty, with only a few scraps of paper swirling in the air, blown by the night wind. In the shadows of a distant alley, a figure emerged for a moment, then quickly retreated back into hiding.

  "Damn it!" Raymond's face changed slightly as he blew out the candles in the room.

  "It's a trap indeed, get ready, we'll probably be busy tonight."

  The night shrouded the streets and alleys of the outer city, except for a few main streets, most places were pitch black, with only a few dimly lit windows casting large blocks of shadows on the houses, which could not bring any light at all, but rather like boils on the skin, giving people a sick feeling.

  At the corner of the street opposite the "War God's Hand" inn, a person slowly poked out his head. Although his appearance couldn't be seen clearly, his eyes were still shining brightly in the darkness. At this moment, he happened to see that the light in the only room went out, so he beckoned with his hand.

  Very soon, about 30 people appeared silently behind him, spreading out in a fan shape and slowly surrounding the inn.

  The "War God's Hand" inn was empty and deserted, the owner had long since gone who-knows-where, the first floor was vacant with only a few candles that were almost burnt out, emitting a dim yellow glow.

  The inn's large door creaked open, and a group of men cautiously entered the inn. The first few men vigilantly scanned the inn with their eyes, and slowly crept up to the second floor along the stairs.

  At this moment, an arrow suddenly flew out from a certain place on the second floor corridor and pierced through the chest of the person in front. The man let out a shrill cry, his body tilted to one side, and he fell down from the stairs.

  The people behind were shocked and heard someone shouting: "We've been discovered, quick, attack!"

  The man crowded on the stairs hastened his pace, wanting to rush up to the second floor. At this moment, Raymond suddenly appeared at the entrance of the stairs.

  Suddenly, a shrill clanging of weapons and repeated shouting came from the staircase. In the faint light of the inn, Raymond was seen wielding a heavy long sword, fighting with a group of men crowded on the stairs. As they fought fiercely, the stairs creaked and groaned, and dust fell down like rain.

  "Meow, young master, I'm here!"

  With the cat woman's unique energetic cry, a figure with two silver spears descended from the sky and joined the battle. The arrival of the cat woman greatly relieved Raymond's pressure, and the two firmly held onto the staircase entrance, preventing anyone else from approaching.

  With just a whoosh, a black line plunged into the crowd of people, and immediately one of the attackers let out a miserable cry as he fell to the ground. The group of people suddenly became chaotic. "Ah, it's that spirit! What is the second team doing? Why haven't they made their move yet?" someone who seemed to be the leader shouted.

  Unfortunately, the one who answered him was another arrow. As soon as his voice fell, his throat had been pierced, and the shattered bones splashed with blood sprayed onto the face of a bystander. The speed and accuracy of the archer were astonishing.

  Shirinis emerged slowly from the shadows of the second floor, gazing coldly at the attackers below who were in disarray. The arrowhead on her bow gleamed with a chilly light even in the darkness. The leader was killed, and the remaining people could no longer withstand the joint attack by Raymon and Bastet.

  Just as they were about to drive the intruders down the stairs, suddenly, a door on the left side of the second-floor corridor was kicked open, and more than a dozen people rushed out, silently raising their weapons and charging towards Raymond and Barbara.