Westminster Bank

Chapter 274: Chapter 168: Letter from an Unknown Woman

It’s worth explaining that while the pursuers Baron encountered on his journey made it seem like Black Irons were a dime a dozen and Bronzes were everywhere...

...in reality, Lawbooks on the Inner Side are an extremely precious and irreplaceable consumable item.

It’s equivalent to an application for a Professional Law. And while there’s a chance of failure due to the different Entry Tier requirements for various professions, without this application, you don’t even have the right to fail.

A single Lawbook appearing at an auction on the Inner Side can often fetch an astronomical price. The Lawbooks for the Wizard profession, due to its power and scarcity, have the lowest circulation on the market. Perhaps only eight or nine are auctioned off in an entire year.

This is also why the Constantine Clan was willing to exchange a precious spot in their Knight Order for a Wizard’s Lawbook.

It also indirectly explained why Daoist Zhou was so popular.

After all, if Lucy could become a Law Enforcer, did that not suggest that their own good-for-nothing descendants could also go to Sichuan and Shu and become Law Enforcers?

’So, whether it’s the Inner Side or the Outer Side, whether they’re parents in the West or back home, a child’s future is always the top priority.’

Baron thought of his own mom, and his mood grew heavy.

"What is Master Jack thinking about?" Isabella suddenly asked, her voice cutting through the air from beside him.

She turned her head to look at Baron. Aside from the compromising scene he had seen on the bed, this was the first time Baron had truly gotten a good look at the eldest daughter of the Beowulf Family—the ’childhood sweetheart’ mentioned in the original owner’s diary.

She had long brows and almond-shaped eyes of a captivating, deep blue. Her face was a delicate oval, rare for a Westerner, complemented by thin, rosy lips that carried a hint of gentle allure. However, her sharp, piercing gaze sliced through that charm, forging it into a brilliant and dashing aura.

For the Dragon Hunting Ceremony, she was dressed in a form-fitting hunting outfit embroidered with the Beowulf Family Pattern. Several sheaths containing daggers and short knives hung from the leather belt at her waist. The exposed skin below was a healthy, sun-kissed tan.

Her long, deep purple hair, curled at the ends, was not tied up, instead allowed to fall to her waist or drape over her shoulders. A few strands were twisted and held with gold and silver ring-like clasps. One thicker lock, however, was tied with a pure black ribbon—a girlish touch that clashed with the image Isabella projected. It wasn’t for show, though, as the bow was tied facing inward, not out.

From Baron’s angle, the black ribbon looked like a butterfly fluttering in a field of violets.

’Surprisingly beautiful.’

In response to Isabella’s question, Baron decided to give an answer that fit his current persona: "Dragon Hunting."

"Dragon Hunting? Sir, which Dragon-Attracting Faction are you from? Norway, Iceland, or perhaps Ireland?"

Isabella didn’t speak. The one who did was a Dragon Guide in a Bronze Mask standing near Baron.

His employer was Dewey Frank, the one who had clashed with Pound earlier.

He was also the one among the onlookers who had vaguely noticed that the quality of Baron’s mask seemed off.

"Norway."

It wasn’t Baron who answered, but Isabella.

She completely ignored the apologetic smile that the man’s employer, Dewey, gave her. She simply answered the Bronze Mask’s question for Baron, "I invited Master Jack from Norway. He is the thirty-third-generation heir of the Antar Clan."

"The Antar Clan?" the Bronze Mask working for Dewey remarked with loaded significance. "I can’t say I’ve ever heard of them."

’Of course you haven’t, because Jack pulled it out of his ass,’ Baron snarked internally.

At the same time, he grew wary. This Bronze Mask of Dewey’s had ill intentions; from the looks of it, he was trying to expose his disguise.

Baron didn’t need to be told to understand the man’s motive. As the old saying goes, ’those in the same trade are rivals.’ And judging by how the man, after making his comment, completely ignored the dark look on his employer Dewey Frank’s face and began to tout his own credentials from the "Badan Clan"...

’This bastard is trying to sell himself to Isabella right in front of me, a White Mask!’

’Son of a bitch!’

"Well, now you have."

Baron let out a cold snort, his kingly aura flaring.

Of course, this was purely his fantasy. The one who actually spoke those words, unexpectedly, was again Isabella.

She looked at the man in the Copper Mask with the predatory gaze of a panther looking down from a high branch. "There are plenty of Dragon Guides with Bronze Masks. I’m not in the habit of using the same tier as everyone else. If I’m going to use one, it must be the best."

She paid no mind to the Bronze Masked man’s self-promotion, ignored the collateral damage her words inflicted on Dewey and the other clan elites who overheard, and didn’t even bother to hide the fact that in her mind, Baron—this "White Mask"—was nothing more than a "useful tool" someone had recommended.

After hearing Isabella’s words, the other Dragon Guides who had been eager to recommend themselves quieted down again.

Not far away, the Dragon Guides of Jose and Tune saw this and secretly exchanged a glance, each letting out a cold sneer tinged with a strange mockery.

They had originally been planning to find a way to help this "White Mask" maintain his disguise until the Dragon Hunting Ceremony officially began, but they hadn’t expected Isabella to put a stop to this game of unmasking so directly.

It made sense. After all, the two of them were Silver Dragon Guides. To Isabella, their assessment probably held more weight than that of some Black Iron or Bronze.

’Holy crap, area-of-effect damage. No wonder the original me could never win an arm wrestle against her as a kid. This girl isn’t just a goddess, she’s a total badass.’

Baron was about to continue his internal commentary when he saw Bass—the coward who bullied the weak, the very same one who had locked him in confinement for a day—suddenly run over and whisper something in Isabella’s ear.

Then, Bass looked up, a murderous glint in his eyes.

Baron’s heart sank. He glanced sideways at Jack, who was sitting restlessly on the other side, signaling for him to prepare for the worst.

But Jack didn’t respond to his signal. He continued to sit stiffly beside his employer, his eyes under the Copper Mask dim and vacant, like a lifeless puppet.

Baron’s already sinking heart plunged even deeper. He hadn’t known Jack for long, but given the man’s ’in it for the good times, out for the bad’ attitude, he estimated that the figure sitting there might very well be some Taboo Item puppet that Jack had rigged up.

And when he remembered that the entire reason he was sitting here was due to Jack’s reckless scheming...

’It’s time to sell Jack out.’

Just then, Isabella spoke. "Master Jack, please forgive my earlier words and unreasonable behavior. When we enter the Dracul Mountain Range, I’ll have to trouble you to guide me on the path to Dragon Slaying."

Never mind Bass being stunned; even Baron, who had been preparing for a desperate struggle, was left dumbfounded.

The two Beowulf brothers, who had been observing from the shadows, were also stunned. Lucy blinked, tilted her head, and let out a cute, confused sound.

Bass said, "Miss Isabella... This... but you should know..."

Isabella shot him a sidelong glance. "You’re overstepping."

"But..."

Bass was flustered. He opened and closed his mouth, but in the end, said nothing more. He apologized and withdrew.

Meanwhile, backstage, a group of Isabella’s household servants were chattering amongst themselves:

"Something’s not right with this Dragon Guide. Captain Bass, just like you ordered, I paid a fortune to call the logistics department at Westminster Bank long-distance and have them look him up. All they could say was that he’s a Silver Dragon Guide living in Norway. No other information could be released."

"More than just not right! When Captain Bass and I followed the vibrations from the Dragon Guide’s badge, we found this Master Jack with another Copper Mask about to cross the boundary. And for some reason, he had a Boundary Stone on him... It was like he was trying to escape."

"I asked a Copper Mask who’s about to be promoted to Silver. He said this Master Jack’s mask has a different color tone from a normal Silver Mask. It’s definitely not real."

"So he really is a con artist. But how could those other two Silver Masks not see it?"

"Because they represent Young Master Jose and Young Master Tune. Besides Young Master Denero and Miss Lucy, only our Miss poses a threat to them."

Bass returned in a huff. "But it doesn’t matter. Since that Copper Mask could see it, it means others can too. The Dragon Hunting Ceremony hasn’t started yet, so the Miss still has a chance to..."

"RUMBLE..."

Suddenly, a roar like the clap of distant thunder echoed from the mountain range in the distance.

Everyone present shot to their feet.

"It’s too late," Bass said suddenly. "The mountain is about to open."

——————

A Letter from a Strange Woman:

I have received your letter. I want to come to you now.

Nothing can stop us.

Constantine.