Chapter 102

Chapter 102

"Buzz—"

The doorbell rang. Samuel pulled up the video feed from the entrance, revealing his deputy William and several district leaders.

After pressing the doorbell twice with no response, William guessed Samuel hadn’t woken up yet.

Just then, the door opened. William took a deep breath and stepped inside the villa with the district leaders.

As soon as they entered, they noticed several scattered inhibitor vials in the living room trash can.

Alphas were often irritable after their ruts. William shot the district leaders a warning glance, signaling them to stay alert.

A few minutes later, Samuel emerged, dressed in casual homewear.

The district leaders, all Alphas, stood in a row with their heads bowed respectfully.

William cautiously observed Samuel’s expression and was surprised to find him in a good mood.

What's going on? Had the boss taken an Omega?

Though William was a Beta and couldn’t sense pheromones, his experience told him the villa didn’t seem like it had an Omega over recently.

Samuel: "What’s the matter?"

William quickly shook off his thoughts and focused on business: "It’s about the situation at the Banxing Arms R&D Center."

"They seem to be planning a large-scale new weapons base. I’ve had initial talks with them, and they’re interested in collaborating with us."

This matched perfectly with Samuel’s long-standing idea of establishing a major weapons exhibition hall. "Go ahead."

Something this big didn’t require Samuel’s direct involvement—it would be handled by the district leaders.

This wasn’t just any exhibition hall. Once built, it would serve as a hub for weapon dealers, officials, and wealthy merchants, becoming an endless cash cow for the district leaders.

The leaders bickered fiercely over which district would host the base.

Samuel, rarely patient, listened to their arguing before finally assigning full responsibility for the project to one district.

William remained silent, once again sensing that Samuel was in an exceptionally good mood today.

After everyone left, Samuel leisurely strapped on his watch.

It wasn’t just about a potted plant.

If possible, he wanted to share every beautiful sight with the kid.

……

After their hideout was raided, the bandits spent days struggling to survive in the woods.

Not only did they endure hunger, but they also had to avoid the beasts and Hairy Men roaming everywhere.

At times like this, they missed their carefree days of raiding Navira.

One starving bandit held his empty stomach and sighed: "Boss, maybe we should just pretend to be wanderers and settle in Navira."

"That’s the last resort," the bandit leader grumbled, equally famished. The woods were full of beasts they couldn’t afford to provoke, forcing them to chew on tree bark. After days of this, even his once-round belly had shrunk. He clutched an aged parchment, muttering: "This doesn’t make sense… the mark on the map should be right here…"

"Boss, what’s that thing anyway?" another bandit couldn’t help but ask.

The leader always carried this parchment, often studying it intently.

He guarded it jealously, never letting anyone else touch it.

The bandits were dying of curiosity about its contents.

Peering, the leader scanned the surrounding terrain. "I looted this from a noble’s vault. It’s definitely a treasure map."

"A treasure map?! So there’s real treasure?!" The bandit’s eyes lit up with greed.

"Shh! Keep it down—this is Hairy Men territory!" Another bandit slapped a hand over his mouth.

Exhausted and starving, the bandits fantasized about selling the treasure and eating like kings. Lost in their daydreams, one of them chuckled—only to trip over a jutting rock and fall flat on his back. "Ow! What the—? There’s a hole here?!"

The bandit cursed as he scrambled up while the others noticed a hidden cave entrance behind a tree. The opening was narrow, and the bandit’s stumble had got his rear stuck in it.

"This is the spot…" The leader compared the tree species and the landmark stones, his eyes glinting with excitement. "Get your tools out! We’re digging this cave open!"

The bandits grudgingly got to work.

As they dug, they realized the cave was weird.

For one, the passage was so narrow only one person could squeeze through—hardly suitable for transporting treasure.

At the end stood nothing but a massive stone slab covered in dense, swirling inscriptions that resembled swarms of tadpoles.

The bandits couldn’t stand it for more than a few seconds before feeling nauseous.

The rest of the cave was barren.

Where was the promised treasure? There was nothing!

Already starving and now drenched in sweat from digging, the bandits felt completely scammed.

"Clang—!" One furious bandit swung his shovel at the slab.

He instantly regretted it. The ground and walls cracked like splintering ice, the entire cave shaking, ready to collapse.

Terrified, the bandits—leader included—bolted for the exit, abandoning all thoughts of treasure.

"Crash! Boom—!"

The collapse’s tremors even reached the manor. Luo Ci, who had just placed the marigold pot by his bedside, immediately found the butler upon hearing the noise.

"Mr. Butler, did you hear that?"

"It seems to have come from the southern swamp."

Worried, Luo Ci frowned. Though the swamp often collapsed due to its soft terrain, the noise this time was unusually loud. Concerned someone might be hurt, he decided to take the knights there himself.

The knights gathered quickly.

Riding a white pony, clad in gleaming new armor with a sword at his waist, Luo Ci marched the knights proudly into the woods.

After crossing the swamp, they soon spotted a giant sinkhole.

Several tall Hairy Men covered in long fur, with only their eyes visible, were carrying a wooden cage lined with jagged teeth and sharp spikes. Inside lay an unconscious man.

Luo Ci couldn't tell if the unconscious man was a wanderer or a resident of the town, so he spoke up, "Wait a moment."

The Hairy Men transporting the cage were startled and immediately raised their spears wrapped with poisonous plants in alarm.

The Knight Commander stepped forward. "Young Lord, I have experience dealing with Hairy Men. Let me speak to them."

Luo Ci nodded his approval.

The Knight Commander first ordered the knights to put away their weapons, then spread his hands and slowly approached the Hairy Men to signal they meant no harm. The Hairy Men exchanged glances and gradually lowered their poisoned spears.

Through gestures and guesswork, the two sides managed to communicate for a while.

The Knight Commander turned to Luo Ci. "Young Lord, I understand now. The Hairy Men say this land is their sacred site. They rushed here after hearing the collapse and found many bandit corpses in the pit. The only survivor was that wanderer, so they threw him into the cage."

Luo Ci couldn’t help but glance at the cage again.

According to the butler, the Hairy Men were scattered across the entire Elfa Continent. They loved capturing lone wanderers and placing them in cages as bait to lure large beasts.

Perhaps the man had been wandering nearby and got caught in the bandits’ trouble, ending up captured by the Hairy Men.

If left alone, the wanderer would certainly die.

Luo Ci said, "The Hairy Men are using him as bait to get food. If we give them food instead, would they be willing to hand him over?"

The Knight Commander relayed the young lord’s proposal to the Hairy Men.

The Hairy Men put their heads together, seemingly discussing. After a while, one of them, with green leaves on his head, stepped forward.

He was clearly the leader of this group and knew some of the Elfa Continent’s language.

After some negotiation with the Knight Commander, the Hairy Man nodded.

Several knights hurried back to the manor and had the servants prepare carts of food to deliver to the southern swamp.

Only after receiving enough food did the Hairy Men open the cage.

Luo Ci let out a sigh of relief as the Knight Commander ordered the knights to move the man onto a horse.

The man stirred and slowly woke up. The Knight Commander noticed his pitch-black eyes, which had an eerie, tomb-like quality—strange and unsettling.

Though the Knight Commander wasn’t one to judge by appearances, he couldn’t shake the strange feeling...

Once they left the dimly lit southern forest, Luo Ci looked more closely at the man. His head drooped, and one of his legs seemed broken, twisted and hanging limp over the horse’s back. He looked completely drained, his face unreadable but clearly in pain.

Luo Ci guessed the man’s leg had been crushed by rocks during the collapse.

Without proper treatment, the injury could have gotten worse.

As soon as they returned to the manor, Luo Ci had the Knight Commander help the man into an empty room.

The Knight Commander supported the man’s shoulders, noticing how unusually heavy he was, and wiped sweat from his brow roughly. "...Tch, so heavy."

Ordinary medicine wouldn’t be very effective, so Luo Ci rushed to the storage room to search for healing bandages. After searching for some time, he found a pile of them.

The bandages varied in quality, so he specifically asked Dai La Bi and picked out one coated in medicinal powder.

The powder was said to be made from black tiger bone, particularly effective for fractures and leg wounds.

The child carried the supplies back to the room, where the man remained seated on the bed in the same position.

The Knight Commander leaned against the headboard, trying to get information from the man about his origins, but no matter what he said, the man remained silent.

Hearing footsteps, the man lifted his head slightly and saw the child with his small face lowered, clumsily wrapping the bandages around his broken leg.

"..."

Luo Ci sniffed. "Does it hurt?"

"..."

Receiving no response, Luo Ci wasn’t upset at all, thinking the man was in too much pain to speak. He carefully wrapped the bandages around his wound while the man lowered his head, showing only his pale jaw.

Luo Ci blew gently on the medicated wound. "Blow on it to make it hurt less."

The child was so focused on comforting him that he didn’t notice the man’s expression remained cold, as if he felt no pain—as if the broken leg wasn’t his.

"All done!" Luo Ci snipped off the excess bandage with small scissors, satisfied with the man’s leg now wrapped up like a dumpling.

The butler carefully took the scissors away, worried the sharp points might hurt the child.

"..."

The man still didn’t speak, slowly closing his eyes as if resting.

The Knight Commander’s temper rose. The man could ignore him, but not the young lord! Was he mute? How dare he treat the young lord this way!

Knowing the Knight Commander’s fiery temper, Luo Ci pulled at his sleeve, worried he’d scare the man. "Let him rest. We should go now."

The Knight Commander, frowning and about to lose his temper, instantly softened when the little one pulled his sleeve. "Alright, alright."

If the young lord hadn’t just saved the man, he would’ve thrown him out of the manor!

Once everyone left, the large room felt even more empty. The man slowly opened his eyes, staring at his tightly wrapped leg, deep in thought.

...

Luo Ci had a bad habit.

He loved walking barefoot on the floor.

During the harvest season, a thin carpet covered the floor, making it just right for tiny bare feet.

But in the cold season, even the rug couldn’t block the winter cold. The night before, he’d kicked his slippers off somewhere while climbing into bed, and the next morning, he searched around on his hands and knees for them, only to catch a cold.

After his nap, his head felt foggy, and he could barely open his eyes.

Though the bedding was warm, his hands and feet were icy.

Samuel was surveying Navira. During his absence, the child had managed the territory well, clearly working hard to develop the land.

The town’s borders, once indistinct, now had sturdy walls and watchtowers. Even the town had its own patrol, and the muddy roads were paved with beautifully patterned tiles.

The market had expanded to three large ones. Navira, once a small settlement, now looked like a proper town.

Every improvement showed the child's influence.

Samuel looked on admiringly, but when he turned his attention back to the manor, he noticed the tailless bear-like child was nowhere to be seen.

He checked the church, the back hill, the warehouse, and other places the young lord liked to visit, but found no trace of the little one.

Only then did he notice a small rounded lump on the bed in the bedroom.

The young lord was curled up under the blankets, revealing a small, flushed cheek, like a freshly steamed sticky rice bun—soft, pink, and utterly adorable, yet with a faint hint of illness.

"Is he sick?"

Samuel immediately rose from his chair.

He promptly instructed the butler to check on the cub's bedroom.

The butler and Dai La Bi rushed over immediately.

After a careful examination, Dai La Bi said, "It looks like a cold. I’ll prepare some medicine for the young lord."

Upon hearing that the young lord was ill, the entire manor sprang into action. The servants followed Dai La Bi’s instructions to gather herbs from the plantation, wash them, while Dai La Bi preheated the cauldron in advance. Once the herbs were measured and mixed in the right proportions, the brewing began.

The brewed medicine was slightly cooled before being handed to the butler.

Gently rousing the cub, the butler said, "Young lord, drink some medicine. It’ll make you feel better."

Luo Ci’s ears were stuffy, making it hard to hear clearly. Drowsily lifting his eyelids, he saw a bowl of dark green liquid—bitter enough to make one recoil from just the smell. Unfortunately, his nose was too blocked to smell anything, so he mindlessly took a couple of sips.

The bitter taste made the cub wilt even further, and he curled back under the blankets with a miserable whine.

Perhaps it was because the cub’s reactions were so vivid that he cared so much... Only after confirming that the illness status in the cub’s info panel had disappeared did Samuel rub his temples.

Noticing that the shop sold candies, he bought some.

Luo Ci drowsily opened his eyes and was coaxed into opening his mouth. The sweet taste of the candy ball quickly washed away the bitterness of the herbal medicine.

"Did it come by carriage again...?"

"Was he... comforting him?"

Half-asleep, Luo Ci blinked drowsily. The warmth lulled him back to sleep before he even realized it.

"Butler Alert: You have received a letter from another lord. Would you like to open it?"

Samuel chose to open it, skimming the contents in an instant. His gray eyes gleamed with icy displeasure, and a faint tremor at the corner of his eye betrayed his sharp irritation.

"From Lord Bu Landon:

Honorable Lord of Navira, I deeply admire your leadership and governance and sincerely hope to form an alliance with Navira. My eldest son (Alpha) is the same age as your young lord. I believe a marital alliance would solidify our ties.

I look forward to your reply."