Chapter 17: Identity Exposed

At these words, Mills’s expression grew even more delighted as he gazed at the handsome young man stepping out of the crowd, swiftly assessing his value with his sharp eyes.

Extremely rare black hair and black eyes—three gold thors.

Pale, fine skin—half a gold thor.

Cold, noble demeanor (scholarly air)—half a gold thor.

Handsome features—one gold thor.

Linen robe plus a comically oversized straw hat—deduct one silver thor.

Hss!

After the assessment, Mills sucked in a sharp breath.

He realized this young man’s value in the Slave Capital surpassed even that of the earlier girl, Anliya!

If he encountered a desperate noblewoman or a lord with same-sex inclinations bidding against each other, he might even sell him for an unimaginable fortune!

“Sir Knight, yes, he’s the villain who robbed me—please arrest him at once! I demand he become my slave to repay my losses!”

Mills pointed at Xia Mingyu, ecstatic.

If not for the crowd, he would have rushed over to kiss his face several times.

This wasn’t a villain—he was his benefactor and ladder to advancement!

The moment Mills finished speaking, the atmosphere around them turned bizarre.

All the villagers, including Anliya and Boge Chu, who were about to be seized and sold as slaves, stared at Mills with strange expressions.

Many villagers stood frozen, mouths agape, as if they’d heard some impossible tale.

Sir Solin, noticing the villagers’ odd reactions, frowned slightly as he studied the young man standing before the crowd.

For some reason, having served nobility for years, he felt the youth’s aura was extraordinary.

The youth wore a tattered linen robe, but the inner lining beneath seemed high-quality, and his facial skin was pale and smooth, without a single blemish.

For a common male, this was far too rare.

Moreover, atop his head sat an enormous, comically misshapen straw hat resembling a crooked mushroom—practically useless as a hat.

But if it served to conceal identity or protection, it made sense.

Coupled with Boge Chu’s earlier words—“a supremely noble prince”—Sir Solin’s eyes narrowed slightly.

“Sir, could you please remove your hat?” Sir Solin said to Xia Mingyu in a low tone.

His tone was unusually respectful—even using the honorific “sir.”

“According to the laws of the Sosia Kingdom, all who enter noble lands must display their identity markers to the knights guarding the territory.”

Sir Solin said calmly, raising one finger; his attendants behind him slowly advanced toward Xia Mingyu.

“It seems I have no other choice.”

Xia Mingyu sighed softly, knowing his peaceful life in this village was over—he was now truly entering this strange, fantastical world.

Under everyone’s gaze, Xia Mingyu slowly removed his straw hat, shaped like a giant puffball mushroom.

A long string of white text was revealed.

For a moment, time itself seemed to fall silent.

The villagers who had seen it before were calm, but Sir Solin and his attendants stood frozen, mouths gaping like puppets.

Even Sir Solin, who prided himself on his swift, steady swordsmanship, forgot to retrieve his steel longsword, which he polished multiple times daily, now lying in the dirt.

The most exaggerated reaction, however, belonged to the Klay merchant Mills.

His face, as if struck by an invisible mallet, twitched uncontrollably from brow to chin, muscles spasming wildly as if ants crawled beneath his skin.

His eyes bulged like lightbulbs, his mouth hung open so wide it dislocated, revealing the gold inlays in his molars.

“Heir to a kingdom of 1,400,000,000 subjects!”

Mills trembled as he read aloud the meaning of the text—he finally understood why the villagers had stared at him so strangely after he declared Xia Mingyu his slave.

So you all knew already!

The instant Mills spoke, Sir Solin and his attendants snapped awake, dropping to one knee in unison before Xia Mingyu.

“I, Solin Brook, squire to Lord Hughes, Viscount of Black Wolf Domain, on behalf of my lord, extend greetings to Your Highness—the noblest of princes—and thank you for gracing Black Wolf Domain with your presence.”

Sir Solin spoke with firm resolve, bowing his head so sharply it cracked the air.

Beads of cold sweat formed on his forehead from tension—he had nearly, nearly boasted of his lord’s greatness before this prince.

His lord was indeed great, but before this exalted prince, only the eternal gods could be called great.

“Things are far better than expected.”

Xia Mingyu watched the knight, once haughty, now bowing so humbly he seemed ready to crawl into the mud, and sighed inwardly with relief.

His worst fear had been that the knight, experienced and sharp-eyed, would recognize him and kill him on the spot.

Though absurd, he believed such a possibility existed—hence his refusal to reveal his identity marker.

But now it seemed the people of this world placed immense, almost ingrained trust in the identity markers everyone was born with.

If so, perhaps he could afford to be slightly bolder in the future.

“By the Supreme Creator, Your Highness, noble, exalted, handsome prince! Forgive my insolence—I beg to serve you as your beast of burden for life!”

At that moment, Mills, finally recovering from the shock of Xia Mingyu’s identity marker, lunged forward, weeping uncontrollably.

Mills knew that after uttering such absurd, insolent words, his only path to survival was to cling to the prince’s leg, sob, and swear lifelong loyalty to beg forgiveness.

If he succeeded, he might turn this greatest crisis of his life into a turning point that changed his fate.

After all, wasn’t that how every drunken minstrel in the taverns sang it?

A noble prince, after trials and tribulations, gains a loyal and capable retainer, then builds a great enterprise together, and the retainer rises to nobility.

Mills believed he was still a capable man—at least in commerce. He swore by the Supreme Creator that if this prince forgave him, he would serve him faithfully for the rest of his life.

Of course, this was contingent on the prince later granting him noble status.

One more chapter—last day of the month, please give me some monthly votes.

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(End of Chapter)