Warlord Of Chaos

In the early evening, Han Jin and Steelberg returned to the town. Both were carefully dressed in the robes Steelberg had stolen. Though the material was not the best, they at least did not have any patches, and looked much cleaner. Steelberg's face still lacked confidence, as his eyes kept on wandering around everywhere, like a mouse scared of being chased and beaten. In comparison, Han Jin was much calmer with his raised lips that showed a hint of a smile. He walked in lithe and free paces, displaying a remarkable temperament. Anyone in his presence would feel as if they were bathing in spring winds. 

The master and servant duo also drew the attention of the town folks. The few that knew Raphael even had to pause to think for several seconds before recognizing him. Chatter and gossip instantly started to circulate behind their backs as they walked deeper into the town. 

To be honest, Raphael had been born with a pretty face. Twenty years ago, both of his parents were famous for being handsome and beautiful. With such great genes, how could Raphael be an ugly boy? But regretfully, the actual Raphael had no personality at all, let alone charm. Now that Han Jin was in this body, Raphael's shortcomings were effectively fixed. If he dressed himself more carefully in luxurious cloth, he would absolutely be an eye-catching young man, even in the city of Holy Crown.

"Steelberg, where to?" Han Jin asked in a low voice.

"This way." Steelberg pointed with his finger but hesitated for a second and said, "Young Master, aren't you tired of smiling all the time? You've been smiling nonstop since returning."

"Idiot, what do you know!" Han Jin knocked on Steelberg's head. "A smile is the best weapon; with a smile on your face, your enemies will be less wary, your friends will be more friendly, and women will act more comfortable around you; they might even… Actually, forget it - you are too young for those kind of things."

"I..." Steelberg wanted to say that he was in fact couple months older, but remembering that he was the servant, he decided to change the subject instead. "Young Master, should I smile too?" Saying this, Steelberg put on a flattering and artificial smile.

"Forget it." Han Jin shook his head helplessly. It's hard to change one's temperament in such a short amount of time. As a slave of Raphael and a beggar, it was normal for Steelberg to look a little thievish, thus it would be better for him to pull a long face than force a fake smile.

While speaking, the two had arrived at their destination: a stone building. There was no signboard in front of the building; only some armors and swords were hung up out front, indicating that it was a weapon shop. The first floor was used for receiving customers, while the second floor was Miss Keeley's chamber. The whole building was imposing and dignified in terms of its architectural style, and was very attractive in a small town like Radon. But the thing that baffled Han Jin was why Miss Keeley, a celebrity of Holy Crown City, come to such a small town? What did she want?

Han Jin was about to walk inside when a middle-aged man came out to meet him. The man glanced up and down at Han Jin and politely said, "Young master, I'm sorry, but this shop has been closed. If you want to buy weapons, please wait for a few days."

"You misunderstand, Mister. I am here to discuss something with Miss Keeley," Han Jin said with a smile.

"And you must be…?" As said before, Han Jin's bright smile and remarkable temperament made the middle-aged man hesitate. Miss Keeley was actually in a bad mood at the moment, which meant he should turn Han Jin down on the spot. But Han Jin's bright smile that was filled with good intention, as well as remarkable temperament, made the middle-aged man ask out of politeness. As the saying goes, you should never punch a smiling face out of anger.

"Raphael, a hereditary baron," Han Jin replied in a light and well mannered tone. "Could I bother you to spare some of your time and inform Miss Keeley about my arrival?" Han Jin hadn't introduced himself as a baron to intimidate him; it was just simple psychology. His introduction implied that even though I am an aristocrat, I still chose to treat you with respect; hence, you shouldn't choose to play the villain here either; just let your master decide who she does and does not want to see.

"Ah, the young master Raphael. Please wait a minute. I will notify my master right now." The middle-aged man nodded with a smile on his face and went back inside.

Not long after, the middle-aged man appeared again and gestured at the side of the door. "Please go in, Young Master Raphael."

"Thank you." With that, Han Jin confidently strode into the shop.

The inside of the shop was cold and dreary, as only several men in workers uniforms sat by the table and chatted in whispers. Apparently, the resignation of the dwarf forging master had dealt a big blow to the shop. Silently observing this fact, Han Jin walked upstairs, following the lead of the middle aged man.

A girl around seventeen or eighteen was sitting in the main seat of the living room upstairs. The girl looked quite beautiful and charming with her crescent moon shaped brows and bright piercing eyes, with pupils that were as blue and pure as the sky. She had a straight nose, and pink thin lips, while two dimples sat on her cheeks, which made her appear even more lively - like the final touch of a painting. Finally, also like a painting, her skin was perfectly white and pure. Han Jin had never seen such beauty before, and stared for a moment before recollecting himself. Now he knew why Raphael had fallen in love with this girl. Unfortunately for the old Raphael, he was like a toad dreaming of eating a swan. Even if he was still young and rich, there was no way he could win over such an exquisite lady, let alone after he had spent all his fortune.

Putting all that aside, the girl's eyes were angrily fixed on a sturdy man who was sitting opposite him. Han Jin recognized the man immediately; it was none other than the mercenary who had helped them when they were being bullied by the sheriff and his men.

"Don't you forget I hired you! How could you not handle something as trivial as this?!" shouted Miss Keeley. Though her tone was harsh, her voice still sounded like a singing nightingale, which completely foiled her attempt at making herself sound imposing. 

"Miss Keeley, I have my principles." The big fellow touched his chin, embarrassed, and said, "I'm a mercenary, not a killer. You seem to have hired the wrong person."

Nibbling at her lips, Miss Keeley coldy said, "20 gold coins!"

"It's not a matter of gold, Miss." The big fellow raised his eyebrow, his deep voice full of unshakable firmness.

"You..." Miss Keeley spluttered, but didn't know what else she could say after a single 'You'.

The middle-aged man came close to Miss Keeley and whispered something. Miss Keeley finally raised her head and looked at toward Han Jin. "Young Master Raphael? Please forgive me, but I can't say I remember meeting you; you are..."

"I grew up in Radon Town. It's understandable that you don't know me..." Han Jin smiled. Han Jin felt that Miss Keeley's manner was a bit too blunt and careless, and sounded as if she didn't care about a mere baron at all. She hadn't even offered him a seat! However, Han Jin still kept his smile and politely asked, "May I sit down?"

"Do sit. Please excuse my bluntness." Miss Keeley forced a smile. "I am sorry, but I'm quite busy right now, and if you want to talk..."

"I can see that." Still wearing his smile, Han Jin went straight to the point, "I heard that, Miss Keylee, you ran into some trouble. Is that correct? I am here to offer myself to solve that problem."

"Oh... Didn't think rumor would spread that quickly." Miss Keeley blinked and then said expressionlessly, "May I ask how you plan on solving my problem? Seems that you are not a professional, right? I should warn you that Villar is not only a forging master, but also a high-grade dwarf warrior."

"Violence is not always the answer," Han Jin replied.

"I'm sorry, then how do you plan to..."

"Outsmart him." Han Jin said in a low voice, "Dwarves aren't usually known for their intelligence. That's something we can take advantage of."

"Outsmart him? So what you are trying to say is that you haven't thought of a plan yet?" Miss Keeley smiled wearily, while the old man beside her straight snorted a laugh.

"I'm going to be honest here, Miss Keeley. I know your hail from high places, and that you are a very knowledgeable young lady." Han Jin continued without batting an eye, acting as if everything was under his control. "Villar is just a dwarf; does he really have the courage to propose to you? That's simply absurd… Well, even if he did, don't you think it must be on someone else's order?" Han Jin had thrown all the information, that Steelberg had provided him, out the window after he had seen Miss Keylee personally. Even in the world he came from, where women's rights were advocated everywhere, beautiful women still often became toys for the rich, let alone in a less advanced world like this?! Only men of great fortune and position could match the standards of such a beautiful girl with both money and influence like Miss Keeley. A dwarf wanted to marry her? Simply absurd, unless he was out of his mind!

Miss Keeley's face suddenly turned cold. "Young Master Raphael, are you really from Radon town?" she said word by word.

"You can send someone to ask around. Though my reputation is not the best, I did grow up here."

Miss Keeley looked at Han Jin quietly. A moment later, her expression relaxed. "Well, I no longer care about how you plan to solve my problem. Right now, I'm only curious about what you hope to get from me." In the end, Miss Keeley gave a sweet smile.

Han Jin held out two fingers.

"What is that supposed to mean?"

"20 gold coins."

Miss Keeley was stunned for a moment. She knew Han Jin had not come up with that number himself; he was just repeating the price she, herself, had offered a moment ago.

The old man beside Miss Keeley stood up and hurried outside, then came back after a short while. By then, he was looking at Han Jin with slanted eyes and an obvious disdain. "Young Master Raphael, you really think you are worth 20 gold coins?"

Miss Keeley furrowed her eyebrows, while Steelberg, who had been silent since he had come into the room, suddenly jumped out and shouted, "Watch who you are talking to! Apologize to my master immediately!"

"Useless trash! Who do you think you are talking to?!" The old man instantly moved toward Steelberg.

"Quiet!" Han Jin and Miss Keylee shouted at the same time. Since both commanded absolute respect from their subordinates, the two servants both stepped back, albeit still with anger flushing on their faces.

"Mister, it's not a matter of whether I deserve 20 gold coins or not; it's a matter of whether solving Miss Keylee's trouble is worth 20 gold coins. If you think that Miss Keylee is not worth that money, feel free to ignore me," Han Jin said coldly with a straight face, as if he hadn't heard the old man's insult at all. As for whether Han Jin kept a grudge, only he himself would know.

"Well, you convinced me." Miss Keeley smiled lightly, deliberately ignoring Han Jin's provocation. "So, how many days do you need? To be honest, I can't put all of my hopes on you."

"One day."

"One day?" Miss Keeley showed an amazed look, then smiled. "Well! I'll wait for your good news then."

"Ah, but you see, Miss Keeley, I'm quite poor right now. My plan requires a certain amount of funding. What do you say to paying me a deposit up front?"

"Now you are simply trying to make it hard on me, Young Master Raphael." Miss Keeley said in a low voice, "I don't know you that well after all; what if you..."

"You think I will run away with the money?" Han Jin laughed straightforwardly, then looked at the big fellow sitting in the corner. "Remember that you still have a powerful mercenary working for you. You can send him to keep a watch on me. If I manage to run away, then you can claim compensation from him. If I truly do solve the problem for you, then you would have to deal with one less problem; you have nothing to lose here."

The big fellow was immediately surprised by Han Jin's proposition, which did not go unnoticed by Miss Keylee. She immediately nodded and happily said, "Deal!"