Free Web NovelChapter 2045: Meeting Lord Pallo Again
Althea wiped her face with her palm.
Husband, I know your EQ is low, but can it not be negative?
You know that these ’servants’ had a higher level than me? You remember we’re in their turf, yes?
Wait, one of these people was the Lord’s right-hand men! This guy was already level 40!
Besides, if Dune Town took a while to upgrade (and it definitely would take a while, considering its location), they’d still need the Hall here, right?
One had to remember that Lords could blacklist people easily when using establishments. Even if they were not blocked by the gates of the territory, they could block them from entering any system building.
If they decided to lock the Mercenary Hall before the two of them could enter, then they’d have to go on foot and use the one in, say, Illyan Town.
And this was assuming no one would make trouble with them on their way out of the territory. Once they were tagged as hostile by the Lord, those sentries—even if they were few—could target them.
They were not in a war either. The Lord could easily build sentries as they wanted. If they decided to trap them in one spot and then surround them with sentries, wouldn’t that be troublesome?
Even if they didn’t trap them inside the town and let them leave, what if the Lord was petty and decided to send hunters after them? Unnecessary trouble should still be avoided in the end; they still had a long way to go doing these tasks.
"Ahem," Althea cleared her throat, patting her husband’s arm as she smiled at the men, whose faces were turning hostile. "Let’s listen to what the Lord has to say."
...
When they arrived at the office, there were already ’expensive’ tea sets waiting for them.
Of course, expensive only because it was rare here. In Alterra, one could buy a bag of something similar for a few silvers. Here, these could be bought in gold.
The Lord studied the two closely and with a wide smile on his face. As expected of two dual elementalists, they are really unimpressed by these expensive snacks he imported from Holt-associated territories!
As expected of a couple of dual elementalists! He had only heard of dual elementlists before, and they were found only in Cities, but there were two now! In his territory!
Were they from cities as well? It was just that their levels were a bit low for their age and affinity, especially the woman. Still, the potential of elementalists was boundless, so he would not dislike them for having lower than average levels!
"Now that you have finished your mission, would you like to consider my offer?" he asked, referring to their topic before they left.
The man’s expression remained impassive, as if he was not planning on speaking, while the woman patted his arm. She was the one who was going to reply.
Pallo and the others frowned a little, but they had learned from the previous accidents. While he looked down on women, those with dual elements still deserved a little more voice.
"We apologize, but we’re heading to our hometown soon," Althea said. "We’ll pass on the offer for now, but we should be returning in a few months; we’ll talk about it then. We will also need to speak with our families."
The reason why they met him when they could just go straight to the Mercenary Hall was because they did not want too much hostility. This place was too close to their associate territory, Dune Town, and they were also afraid that it would cause them trouble, especially since they had seen Sinnan.
They might not have recognized him, but there was a chance someone did. If being polite was all they needed to keep things at peace, no matter if the Lord and his family were a bit unsavory, they could give him this face.
Sadly, he did not particularly appreciate it. "I will offer you your own villa here and you can do things tax-free, what do you say?"
"We value the offer, but our decision is the same."
He narrowed his eyes at them, casting suspicious glances. "Where do you live? A City? Which City?"
"We live only in a Level 2 town, the same as Metteo."
"How long has it been a town?"
"...a few years."
Pallo, and his men, scoffed. It was common sense that a territory only a few years into their new tier was basically just a stronger version of them from the previous tier.
"Then, why do you reject our offer?"
"We have family in other places, and we are living well there. I hope you understand, Milord. We’ll need time to convince them to liquidate our assets." freёwebnovel.com
Silence reigned in the room, and it looked like the guards were prepared to capture them. Althea frowned, and Garan’s eyes were sharp.
Althea looked at him. "We haven’t rejected you yet, have we? Is there a need to be hostile?"
Pallo’s eyebrows furrowed as he stared at her. "Haven’t you gotten quite close with Erol? You’re not going to his side, are you?" freewebnσvel.cѳm
Hostility dripped in his tone. The conflict between factions was common knowledge here, but the enmity in the way he spoke meant that there was already action involved.
Althea belatedly realized that most of these people had the smell of blood, many of them had fresh injuries in their bodies. Only the Lord himself seemed unscathed. If the Lord mobilized his personal guards, then things really got serious.
It seemed like they moved on from tripping each other in the dark. No wonder the atmosphere when they appeared was a bit more oppressive than usual.
"Between Erol and our team is merely a professional relationship."
"It better be. After all, they are traitors in hiding now, hehe. Assuming they are alive, of course."
"What?"
They did not show much emotion other than the appropriate amount of surprise, and just the right amount of pity.
Althea spoke first. "How unfortunate...we quite appreciated their guidance. He and his team are—were—quite talented."
What a pity, indeed. She really liked them.
