Chapter 3: Being Difficult

  The sky grew darker, and Stillberg didn't return. Han Jin felt that he couldn't waste any more time, so he started to meditate with his eyes closed. Just as he was about to enter a state of calm, a loud noise came from afar and got closer and closer in his direction.

  Han Jin had no choice but to open his eyes, and in front of him were about a dozen men, each with a long sword at their waist. They wore rough leather armor that looked like they had simply dug holes in animal hides and put them over their heads. By this reasoning, the long swords at their waists should be of similar quality.

  However, these people were clearly a group and were carrying weapons. Were they law enforcement or the underworld? Han Jin supported himself against the broken wall and slowly stood up, realizing that their target was him.

  First was a man in his forties, with a dark complexion and a sturdy build. Behind him, two men were dragging a person covered in bloodstains. As if sensing Han's gaze, the dragged person groaned and struggled to lift their head. Han's eyelid twitched violently - Stilberg?!

  In the received memory, Stillberg's character was very despicable. Of course, Raphael wasn't much better. The reason why Mahana, the mayor of Ladontown, couldn't get along with them was that Stillberg would climb over people's walls in the middle of the night to peep at their young daughters, and he was once caught red-handed and almost beaten to death.

  Is Stillberg causing trouble again? Han Jin furrowed his brow involuntarily.

  "Ah, Master Raphael, it's been a long time." The middle-aged man at the front called out loudly.

  Although the middle-aged man's tone was ordinary and his facial expression was proper, Han Jin could clearly feel a strong sense of contempt.

  "What's going on?!" Han Jin asked aloud.

  "Don't blame me, Master Raphael! This trash actually dared to steal things!" The middle-aged man grabbed Stilberg's hair and roughly dragged him over: "Haha, I don't know what this guy was thinking. He stole something and then had the nerve to sell it outside? And... Ah yes, Master Raphael, he said that you gave him the item? You say something, is it true or not?" The middle-aged man deliberately approached Han Jin, his eyes wide with anger, looking like he was about to grab Han Jin for questioning as well.

  Han Jin fell silent, not because he was afraid of trouble, but because the memories he received were too complicated, and he needed to sort them out before making a decision.

  "I understand." The middle-aged man, seeing that he had already gained the upper hand over Han Jin, said with a sneer: "This guy must be biting people randomly. How could someone as honest as Master Raphael be in cahoots with a thief? You few, take him away and interrogate him thoroughly again."

  Several big men grabbed Stillberg, but Stillberg did not cry out in pain or shout wildly. He simply stared at Han Jin with a desperate gaze.

  "The demon crystal was mine to give him, which dog's eye of yours saw us stealing?" Han Jin said coldly.

  As soon as Han Jin's words came out, the scene immediately became quiet, whether it was the big men carrying weapons or the onlookers, they all became stunned, even the middle-aged man stood there, calling out in a disbelieving tone: "You... what did you say?"

  "Are you asking me which dog's eye saw us stealing things?"

  "Looking for death!" The middle-aged man suddenly became furious, drew out his long sword and roared: "You think you're a young master just because I called you that a few times? Do you believe I'll kill you right here?!"

  "Oh." Han Jin's response was indifferent.

  The middle-aged man became even more enraged, took a step forward, raised his long sword above his head, and was about to slash down.

  Han Jin's face was calm and serene, at this moment, he still had the leisure to assess what kind of flaws were in his opponent's opening move.

  A scream came from the crowd of onlookers, Ladong Town is located in a remote area, relatively speaking, people here live very quietly and rarely see such scenes.

  That inferior long sword hovered in mid-air, less than half a foot away from Han Jin's head, but it couldn't fall any further.

  Han Jin smiled, every world has its own rules. Raphael is a baron and a member of the privileged class. Although he is now penniless and powerless, living like a beggar, his identity remains unchanged. In public view, even killing a commoner would result in punishment, let alone killing a noble. Moreover, there was no irreconcilable hatred between them. Raphael's memory told him that this middle-aged man was the town's security officer, named Sventi, who was only trying to please the town mayor, Mahana, because he disliked Raphael and his servant. He would never think of dying with Raphael.

  "Alright, stealing from others and still daring to be arrogant?" An old man with half-white hair jumped out from among the tall men.

  "Whose thing did I steal?" Han Jin retorted.

  "Mine!" The old man opened his hand, and in his palm was a bright red bead.

  Han Jin turned his gaze to Stilberg, who struggled to shout: "Young master, this old thing is intentional! I'll go to him..." Just as he shouted here, a big man next to him slapped Stilberg's face, forcing the rest of the words back.

  Han Jin looked at him with hatred in his eyes, but he was powerless. He coldly asked the old man, "How did you know Stilberg stole your things?"

  "He brought the magic crystal here to sell, and I saw right through it!" The old man sneered and said: "Raphael young master, you say that the magic crystal was given to Stierberg by you. With your current situation... Heh heh, can you really take out the magic crystal?"

  "Did Stillberg steal your stuff and then sell it back to you? Is there such a fool?" Han Jin shook his head: "It's okay if you're the pig yourself, but the mistake is that you shouldn't treat others as pigs too."

  "You..." The old man was shocked. Everyone in the town knew that Raphael had been down on his luck for years, and at first, people were still somewhat deferential to him because of his status. But as time went by, they increasingly stopped treating Raphael like a noble, and eventually even stopped treating him like a person. So why was Raphael suddenly so bold today? Unfathomable as it was, the old man still had to find a way to save face, so he called out to Sventi: "Lord Sventi, this whelp is just being stubborn! Take him away and interrogate him, I don't believe he won't come clean!"

  "Good idea." Han Jin sneered: "First, let me suffer, and when the court intervenes, it's someone else's turn to suffer. But no matter who suffers, no one will find you responsible, right?" The court that Han Jin mentioned was a special place for determining the crimes of nobles. Even if he really stole something, the people in the town had no right to convict him, not even the mayor. They had to go to the city's court, and unauthorized interrogation of nobles was a much more serious crime than theft!

  The old man's eyes widened, and he was speechless for a long time. In his impression, Raphael was an incorrigible fool, but today's Raphael had become another person, not only understanding the reason but also knowing how to sow discord.

  "Don't go too far." A pot-voiced person outside the scene said, "Just for a piece of magic crystal, you beat someone to this state, and now you still want to catch people?"

  "Who? Who was just talking nonsense?" Svante, who was worried about not being able to get off the stage, shouted, his eyes turning towards the onlookers: "Get out of my way..."

  The crowd parted with a loud noise, not voluntarily, but being forcibly pushed open. A majestic man like a mountain walked in slowly, his stature was higher than anyone present, and he had a huge sword on his shoulder that was frightening. What's more surprising is that the giant sword did not have a scabbard, it was just tied with a few circles of grass rope, and most of the blade was exposed outside, there were also black marks left on the blade, heaven knows if it was human blood or not. Although he walked slowly, his momentum made people breathless, Sefanti suddenly closed his mouth, it was because he didn't dare to shout again.

  "You... are you a mercenary?" The old man asked with a smile.

  "Nonsense! Can't you see the emblem?" The big man said irritably.

  "Heh... may I ask, which mercenary group are you from?"

  "Are you trying to make friends or seeking revenge in the future?" The big man suddenly grabbed the old man's hand, and the old man cried out in pain. The magic crystal in his palm rolled onto the ground, and then the big man flung him away with great force. The old man stumbled backward seven or eight steps before falling to the ground with a thud, while the big man bent down to pick up the magic crystal.

  Isn't this a daylight robbery? But the people around are silent, including Sefanti who is in charge of maintaining law and order. Mercenaries, soldiers for hire, often live on the edge of life and death, and those who engage in this profession are not easy to mess with. Moreover, mercenaries have limited constraints, if one place doesn't work out, they can just move to another, ordinary people can't do that.

  "What are you looking at?" The big man said coldly, "This magic crystal is neither mine nor yours!" After finishing speaking, the big man inserted his giant sword into the ground. His right hand reached into his waist and pulled out more than a dozen fire-red beads that were exactly the same as the magic crystal in his left hand.

  "Understood? These magic crystals all belong to my employer." The big man said with a sarcastic tone, "As for these two people, I guarantee they didn't steal anything. Do you still have any questions? If not, then get lost!"

  Constable Sven heard that the other party was hired by the people in the town, and his courage was boosted. He wanted to speak a few words of authority, but unexpectedly, the other party's tone became more and more arrogant and less giving face. His facial expression changed constantly, but in the end, he still showed weakness, waved his hand, and led his men to withdraw in disarray.

  "A group of ignorant country bumpkins." The big man spat and walked out of the arena in large strides, his act of righteousness was merely due to sympathy and understanding the origin of the magic crystal under specific conditions. In his eyes, the beggar-like master and servant were not even comparable to those country bumpkins, he didn't have the mood to talk to Han Jin.