Chapter 236: Passing By, Attribute Panel

Resting Longchao tavern hall.

Somewhere in the corner with a wide view, a wine table that could see both the inn door and the second-floor stairs.

"Crunch."

As if unable to bear the heavy weight of the metal plate armor, the four chair legs pressed against the ground and trembled slightly, making a miserable wail.

Teliweilian leaned back, resting lightly against the back of the chair

A natural and cordial smile still lingered on his handsome face.

Behind him, the table where Xia Nan and his party had been sitting was now empty, save for a few plates, which a tavern waiter was efficiently clearing away.

From the stairwell leading to the second floor on the other side, the faint sound of footsteps could be heard moving away.

"Captain, how was it?"

A subordinate leaned in close and asked in a lowered voice.

"Probably not." The smile on his face gradually vanished as his fingertips tapped the table, replaced by a deeper sense of contemplation.

Yuliusi gave an almost imperceptible shake of his head.

"Perhaps they were just passing through by chance."

"Is it really such a coincidence?" asked the knight sitting across from him, who was also wearing standard-issue gear, though of slightly inferior quality. "That at this very moment, the second son of the Lord of Niumu would suddenly appear in Ronglin Town?"

"Captain, I don't think it's that simple."

To this, Yuliusi did not reply, merely pouring himself a glass of ice water.

He drained it in one gulp and wiped the water from the corners of his mouth.

Those eyes, which had never shown anything but goodwill 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, he had already reached Lv5 professional level before the age of thirty and was currently seeking to advance his class as a 【Silver-Plated Knight】.

Yuliusi held the highest authority among the five accompanying knights, all of whom were also professionals, and served as the squad leader.

And the reason for their trip from Nianshu Ling across the mountains to Ronglin Town was naturally not for an outing or something as trivial as delivering a letter.

The reason he had just given for refusing to escort Haian back to the territory was not a fabricated excuse.

They truly had an urgent mission that required them to remain in the town.

Yuliusi knew the "Gnoll Squad" and recognized their captain, "Laosen."

He was also clearly aware of what those daring adventurers had been plotting.

Attempting to break into the lair of an adult Hong Long and safely retrieve a treasure from it was a feat even Duke Morton would find difficult to achieve.

The "Gnoll Squad" had spent nearly two years planning this operation, and as his former colleague—though the other party had already left by the time he became a professional—the squad's abnormal behavior had been discovered by the Duke's spies as early as a year ago.

The large-scale purchase of detection and dispelling tools for magic traps, fire resistance potions, and even a bid at an auction for a dragon-slaying dagger...

Anyone with the intent to investigate could easily guess the "Gnoll Squad's" plan.

And their target, given that their captain Laosen had once served as a guard at the Duke's mansion and might know some secrets, and was even an eyewitness to the Hong Long attack incident—

There was likely only one—

The heirloom treasure lost by Duke Morton.

To be honest, regarding the Gnoll Squad's whimsical plan, neither he nor the Duke believed that this adventurer squad, which didn't even have a single Transcendence-level professional, had any chance of success.

But since it concerned the Morton family's heirloom, even if the probability was small, even if it were only 0.001 percent, it was necessary to confirm it.

This was the reason Yuliusi and his party were staying in Ronglin Town.

By remaining in the only human settlement near the Hong Long's lair, regardless of whether the Gnoll Squad's plan succeeded or not, as long as anyone survived, they would have to come here to resupply and rest.

Failure was expected, but if Laosen and his group were truly favored by the Xing Yun Nv Shen...

The Morton family's treasure should naturally be returned to the territory by the Duke's most loyal and brave knight.

The moment Laosen returned to town, the scouts they had specifically left at the town entrance reported the situation to Yuliusi and the others, so they had waited in advance at the Resting Longchao inn based on the route.

But to his surprise, before he even saw Laosen, Yuliusi first saw that silver-haired, silver-eyed half-elf at the tavern entrance, carrying a longbow and looking quite conspicuous.

—Haian Wickliffe.

The second son of the Lord of Niumu.

Because of the relationship between the Duke and Lord Wickliffe, Yuliusi and Haian had a bit of a friendship.

Given the other party's personality, he was likely already considered a close friend.

Yuliusi would certainly not refuse such an easily gained channel, but if this relationship affected his status in the Morton family or delayed this opportunity to obtain resources for his class advancement...

He knew his priorities.

Currently, considering the high-level changes he had heard about in Niumu some time ago—

It was reasonable for Haian to travel such a distance to seek refuge in the Yuansha Province.

But just as his subordinate had said, it was too much of a coincidence.

That Haian and his party happened to appear at the exact moment Laosen returned to the tavern after finishing his operation.

This made him harbor some suspicions, even if he believed the other party's claim of just passing through Ronglin Town.

According to the other party, that veteran guard Wood, who was always by his side, was also in town.

Perhaps Haian, like him, was not lying, but had merely concealed some key information.

For instance, fleeing from Niumu was a fact, but passing through Ronglin Town at this moment was intentional.

All for the sake of the heirloom treasure lost by the Duke.

After all, if the rumors were true, the Morton family's rise was based on this object; if a half-elf got their hands on it, the predicament the Wickliffe family was currently in would be easily resolved.

Whether it was to regain a firm footing as the Lord of Niumu or to choose another place to start over, both were good options.

Furthermore, the two adventurers he had glimpsed by Haian's side earlier did not look like normal guards at all.

First, the woman named "Weirouer," needless to say.

Without a doubt, she was definitely a spellcaster, and the kind who possessed a proper professional level, not just an ordinary Mage Apprentice.

To hire her as an accompanying guard, the Wickliffe family had clearly paid a considerable sum.

Then, there was the silent and sharp-tempered black-haired youth.

Undoubtedly a professional, though his specific level was unknown.

But Yuliusi could be certain that the other party's strength was definitely not weak.

That kind of refined aura formed through long-term disciplined training and a large amount of actual combat experience.

Compared to those bottom-tier adventurers in the tavern who were stuck with one trash commission after another, living day to day, and wasting all their gold coins on card tables and prostitutes—

It was recognizable at a glance.

Even if he was too young and didn't participate much in the conversation between him and Haian.

Yuliusi could be absolutely certain that this black-haired youth was far more troublesome than he appeared.

"Do not create extra trouble, at least not until they actually take actions that affect our plan."