30: Belated coming of age ceremony (thanks to 2019…4518 for the monthly ticket)

Before Arthur left the clinic, the Old Dwarf approached him.

The white-bearded old man pleaded with Arthur to let him stay by Jessica's side to look after her.

To show his loyalty, the Old Dwarf even swore a solemn oath to Moradin, the Dwarf God, promising to follow Arthur to his death from now on, with no second thoughts.

In this world where gods truly exist, swearing an oath to a god is an extremely solemn and serious matter.

Once the oath is broken, it is truly possible to suffer divine punishment.

Furthermore, races like the Dwarves, who hold their racial gods in extreme reverence, will fulfill an oath once it is sworn.

It could be said that Arthur had completely gained the loyalty of this Old Dwarf, along with that young half-elf.

"Tell me what exactly happened when you have time."

After Arthur left these words, he departed with the Orc.

When Airo returned to the warehouse, she saw lights still on inside from afar.

She approached closer and vaguely heard voices from within—the people guarding the warehouse were discussing Arthur.

Therefore, she did not rush to push the door open but stopped outside to listen.

"So, why did you change your mind and choose to stay?" It was the alchemist Qiao speaking.

"I've lived in the capital for so many years; I've seen politicians too stupid to count, noble young ladies who need to drink human blood every night, and wealthy merchants who enjoy torturing slaves.

"But I've never seen anyone like him." This voice belonged to the noblewoman Catherine, and she continued, "You absolutely cannot imagine what he made me do this afternoon.

"He asked me to sort out all his flashy and impractical clothes and then sell them for money.

"Among the people I've encountered, without exception, they would all try every possible way to bring those expensive clothes with them.

"After all, those are their 'faces,' the most direct way to distinguish them from the commoners at the bottom. Yet he doesn't care at all."

At this moment, the Water Demon Philip spoke, "Boss, didn't you say this Lord was promiscuous, eccentric, and ill-tempered... ill-tempered..."

"Ill-tempered," the alchemist interjected in time.

"Yes, ill-tempered, but I feel this Lord is completely different from what you described."

"I'm also very surprised," Catherine admitted, "It can only be said that rumors often cannot be easily trusted.

"I made a pact with him, related to my past, and that's why I stayed. What about you two?"

"I joined the Emerald Society before because they allowed me to conduct my research freely.

"Now that this Lord has also agreed, I have nothing to worry about.

"Besides, I've always wanted to visit Qingfeng Valley. I heard there are many new materials worth excavating there. What about you, Water Demon?"

"Lord Arthur not only provides food and lodging but also gives us money to buy things, much better than the scoundrel lord in our place. Why wouldn't I follow him?

"So what if we go to Qingfeng Valley? I've already died once; what else is there to fear?

"But we can't let such a good Lord fall in Qingfeng Valley. With him around, many people can have food to eat and clothes to wear."

Hearing this, Airo smiled faintly. She deliberately coughed once, then pushed the door open and entered the warehouse.

As soon as Arthur entered the room, he saw Vanka asleep at the table.

He casually picked up a blanket and covered the girl, but this action startled her, and she mumbled as she woke up.

"Young Master, you're back? What time is it?"

"It's very late, go to sleep," Arthur said.

Vanka rubbed her eyes and got up, "I'll go prepare water for you to wash up."

"No need to trouble yourself, I'm very tired and plan to go straight to sleep."

"Then let me give you a massage."

Seeing the girl's persistence, Arthur nodded in agreement.

He lay flat on the bed, enjoying Vanka's massage while reviewing all the events that had occurred today in his mind.

Tomorrow, he had to give his father an answer, deciding whether to go outside the city to suppress the bandits.

Initially, Arthur did not understand why his father made this request, until Bump spoke to him before he left the military camp, and then he understood.

Due to the continuous warfare with the Orcs on the border, the Earl's territory's financial reserves were rapidly depleting.

It was extremely difficult to draw out a sum of money to support Arthur under such circumstances.

Therefore, Robert proposed a solution to his father—to let Arthur join the team to suppress the bandits.

Because, in the Warden Robert's view, clearing out that insignificant group of bandits would not require too much manpower or time; a well-equipped infantry squad would suffice.

The seized supplies at that time could serve as his nephew's development funds, and Arthur himself would not face too much danger.

It just depended on whether Arthur had the courage to accept this task.

Arthur couldn't help but sigh, Robert truly lived up to being a member of the Evil Wolf Family, believing in the principle of the strong being revered, just like his father.

Arthur also understood that Bump telling him these things was not out of goodwill.

As his father's most loyal servant, the steward always acted with the Earl's interests first.

He wanted Arthur to agree to this matter to alleviate the Earl's financial burden.

As for the robbed merchants, they were irrelevant, because dead people don't complain.

After weighing the pros and cons, Arthur decided to accept this matter because the reward was indeed generous.

Moreover, he now had his own subordinates, plus the squad of soldiers his uncle prepared for him, so there shouldn't be too many problems.

And so, under Vanka's gentle kneading, Arthur gradually fell asleep.

The next morning, he woke up early as usual, and the first thing he did was check the intelligence panel.

Daily Intel has been updated:

[Blue Intel (Enhanced)] One half of the magical item, the Twin Serpent Bracers, was among the treasures stolen last night. To unleash its power, the other half must be obtained.

[White Intel (Enhanced)] Olaf and Captain Bellowock of the Barracuda are preparing to raise the price of smuggled goods.

[White Intel (Enhanced)] Mia from the Upper City is purchasing beautiful clothes for her wealthy merchant husband to wear when the New Temple is completed.

[White Intel (Enhanced)] Godwin Ernst, the hermit of Old Wheeltown, wants to understand your way of governance to confirm whether you are worth following. He adheres to the philosophy of governing by law and eliminating punishment through punishment.

Arthur recorded this information, then, while washing and changing, he instructed Vanka.

"Go find Catherine and have her help you deal with the clothes we sorted out yesterday.

"There's a woman named Mia in the Upper City; she might be interested in these clothes. You can go talk to her."

After getting ready, Arthur hurried to the training ground to find his father.

Although his father had rarely personally led troops into battle for various reasons, he still maintained the habit of waking up early to practice sword fighting at the training ground.

Seeing his youngest son approach, Evil Wolf Earl stopped his training and asked Arthur what he wanted.

"I want to lead a team to suppress the bandits."

Hearing this, Evil Wolf Earl was very pleased.

He laughed heartily, walked up to Arthur, patted his son's shoulder forcefully, and said, "Hahaha, good! Truly the Son of the Wolf! I originally thought you would refuse.

"I cannot let my son go into battle against bandits empty-handed. Go to the treasury and choose your coming-of-age gift!"

Presenting weapons or armor to adult offspring had always been a tradition of the Evil Wolf Family.

It was just that Arthur's previous behavior had been too rebellious, and he had never received this coming-of-age gift.

Arthur had never taken this matter to heart, so he was surprised that the Earl brought it up today.