Chapter 218: Inviting Enri, Wanted by the Empire?
*Crack, crackle~*
A blackened brazier was placed beneath the chimney inside the room, and the firewood burning within crackled softly, gradually raising the temperature and keeping the cold air outside at bay.
The middle-aged Village Chief, wearing a round cap, with a sturdy build and dark skin, looked at Tang Zheng and his companion with a cautious and apologetic expression.
"The accommodations are simple. Please don't mind," the middle-aged Village Chief said softly, a little embarrassed.
This was the Village Chief's house in Carne Village. Tang Zheng's group had been invited here as soon as they arrived.
Besides the Village Chief, the village's hunter, Lachimon, stood quietly to the side, leaning against the wooden wall. His fearful gaze swept over Tang Zheng and the Green Leaf Witch.
In particular, the badge hanging from Tang Zheng's waist, forged from gold, made Lachimon's eyes linger for a few extra moments.
That was proof of a "Gold Rank" Adventurer!
The value of that badge alone, if sold, would be enough to provide food for a family for two or three months.
This was a personage of great importance, someone he could never have come into contact with before.
Lachimon recalled the last time he had seen Tang Zheng, the other man wasn't even an adventurer. He never expected that in just a few months, he would already be a "Gold Rank" adventurer.
Truly remarkable—
Lachimon's gaze swept over Tang Zheng's youthful face and the pretty, green-haired girl beside him, then he quickly looked away, not daring to stare for too long.
They were from completely different worlds.
"We are the ones intruding," Tang Zheng said, shaking his head with a calm expression.
"Village Chief, there's no need to be so formal. This isn't my first time in Carne Village. Thank you for your hospitality before."
Hearing this, a look of being overwhelmed by favor appeared on the middle-aged Village Chief's face. "Lord, you are too kind. It was nothing."
Although this was the third time the black-haired youth had come to their village, it was completely different from the previous two.
The middle-aged Village Chief still remembered him wearing cheap linen clothes, looking rather inconspicuous—a world apart from his current image in a pure white cleric's robe with an exquisite black inner layer.
Especially the Ghoul Dog, as tall as a man, squatting outside the door. It all indicated that the black-haired youth before him was no longer someone they country folk could reach.
The thought of some of the women in the village who occasionally joked about Tang Zheng helping that little girl Enri carry straw made the middle-aged Village Chief's heart skip a beat.
Fortunately, Tang Zheng didn't know about this.
The middle-aged Village Chief didn't think a great figure like Tang Zheng would care about the country women in the village. On the contrary, if he were to hear of it, it might cause his displeasure and even bring trouble to the village.
"I wonder if Enri is still in the village?" Tang Zheng's calm voice sounded.
"Ah, ah?"
The middle-aged Village Chief first froze, then his eyes widened abruptly, and a layer of cold sweat broke out on his forehead.
"What's wrong, is Enri not here?"
Tang Zheng found it a bit strange, looking at the clearly flustered middle-aged Village Chief with some surprise.
"She is, she is."
"Lord, is there something you need?" the middle-aged Village Chief asked in a small, somewhat guilty and nervous voice.
Lachimon's body also grew tense.
"I came to Carne Village this time specifically to see Enri. I discovered last time that she has a special talent."
"So I wanted to ask if she would be willing to leave the village," Tang Zheng explained patiently to the astonished Village Chief and hunter.
Hearing this, the middle-aged Village Chief and Lachimon glanced at each other, sighing in relief while also feeling a hint of pleasant surprise.
They didn't know what kind of talent Enri possessed to be noticed by the man before them, but they knew that this was an opportunity for both Enri and Carne Village.
"Lachimon, go to the Emmott's. And bring Emmott over as well," the middle-aged Village Chief said, turning his head to Lachimon with a somewhat serious tone.
This matter was a good thing for the village, but it also required hearing the opinions of Enri herself and her father, Emmott.
Lachimon nodded, quickly left the room, and departed.
Meanwhile, Tang Zheng chatted lightly with the Carne Village Chief, trying to find out if any major events had occurred in the Re-Estize Kingdom recently.
Unfortunately, Carne Village was simply too remote, and the middle-aged Village Chief didn't know much.
On the side, the Green Leaf Witch watched Tang Zheng converse with a weak human. Though her face remained expressionless, her heart was filled with astonishment and confusion.
She really couldn't understand it.
Her powerful and terrifying master was actually communicating with a human he could kill with a flick of his hand as an equal.
Even though she didn't know much about the human world, she was aware that someone with her master's strength was likely a rarity even among humans.
"Could it be that the person named Enri is also a strong human?" the Green Leaf Witch thought to herself.
After about two minutes, Lachimon returned, bringing with him a nervous, brown-haired man and Enri, who followed at the very back, wringing her hands.
The Green Leaf Witch's eyes fell on the three of them immediately. Seeing that they were also incredibly weak, the look of confusion in her eyes deepened.
"Sister, it seems these humans are unaware of the Master's true strength," the White Mist Witch's voice echoed in the Green Leaf Witch's mind.
The Green Leaf Witch nodded slightly, her pupils filled with contemplation. After witnessing this scene, she had also faintly sensed that her master was intentionally hiding his true strength.
"Long time no see, Enri."
Tang Zheng smiled at Enri and greeted her with a light chuckle.
"Lord," Enri quickly bowed, her voice flustered.
The rest of the matter was much simpler.
As Tang Zheng had expected, both Enri's father and the Carne Village Chief were very supportive of Enri accepting his invitation.
For the impoverished villagers living in a border village, Tang Zheng's invitation was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity in their eyes.
And in fact, that was true.
The only difference was that the original Enri would have belonged to the Bone King's camp in the future, whereas now she had joined Tang Zheng, standing on the opposite side of the Bone King.
He deliberately stayed in Carne Village for a day to let Enri say a proper goodbye to her family.
The next day, a carriage drove out of Carne Village.
The Ghoul Dog pulled the carriage, while Tang Zheng and the other two sat in the back. The carriage, naturally, had been sponsored by the Village Chief.
On the swaying carriage, Enri was bundled in thick clothing, her cheeks flushed red by the cold wind. She carefully looked up at Tang Zheng and the expressionless Green Leaf Witch.
Despite such cold weather, neither Tang Zheng nor the Green Leaf Witch wore much, as if the frigid temperature had no effect on them at all.
"What is it? If you have any questions, feel free to ask," Tang Zheng said with a light laugh, noticing Enri's gaze.
"Do I... Do I really have the talent you mentioned, Lord?"
Enri shrank her neck, pulling her old clothes tighter. Her pale, frozen fingers peeked out from her cuffs.
Even now, Enri felt like she was in a dream, filled with bewilderment and helplessness. According to her father and Uncle Rachmon, the Lord before her was a "Gold Rank" Adventurer, a great figure who was both powerful and could earn a lot of money.
But... she didn't know how to do anything besides farm work.
"Trust me, you possess a talent you don't even know you have," Tang Zheng said with great certainty. Then his tone shifted, "However..."
Enri quickly looked up, her brown pupils watching Tang Zheng with unease.
"I've mentioned it once before, but I want to tell you again. Following me will be somewhat dangerous," Tang Zheng said.
Enri tilted her fair neck back and said, as if psyching herself up, "I'm not afraid!"
There weren't many ways to earn money in the village. Besides growing crops like wheat and gathering herbs in the forest, there were no other options.
Enri also wanted to earn more money, perhaps even enough to help the village. She wasn't stupid; she knew why the Village Chief wanted her to accept the invitation and follow Tang Zheng.
The carriage fell silent again.
Enri really wanted to talk to the Green Leaf Witch beside her, but the other party's cold demeanor made her heart pound, and she didn't dare to be the first to speak.
"Xiao Hei, a little faster," Tang Zheng said to the Ghoul Dog pulling the carriage.
"Awooo."
The Ghoul Dog howled and its four limbs began to gallop across the snow.
The sudden increase in speed made the oncoming cold wind even stronger. Tang Zheng and the Green Leaf Witch were naturally unaffected.
But Enri, being an ordinary person, couldn't help but shiver despite being wrapped in thick clothes.
"Cuiye."
Tang Zheng glanced at the Green Leaf Witch beside him.
"Yes." Cuiye nodded respectfully. Raising her slender arm, a verdant green light emanated from her palm.
"Plant Growth."
Several leaves flew out from Cuiye's body, rapidly growing and expanding in mid-air to form a plant barrier that enveloped the open-air carriage, blocking the cold wind from the front.
"Amazing," Enri murmured, her mouth slightly agape and a look of astonishment on her face.
With the Ghoul Dog running at an accelerated pace, a journey that would have taken most of the day was shortened to two hours.
The tall towers of the city wall appeared on the horizon ahead. The border city, E-Rantel, was in sight.
The soldiers guarding the city gate were stunned and nervous at the sight of the imposing Ghoul Dog pulling the carriage. They subconsciously raised their weaponry, warily watching the rapidly approaching carriage.
"Halt!!" one soldier shouted, his voice trembling.
The Ghoul Dog's current enormous size was filled with a sense of danger, not something ordinary soldiers like them could handle at all.
The Ghoul Dog slowed down, stepping forward with a deliberate gait. It lowered its head, revealing a ferocious visage, its beastly eyes looking down with contempt at the soldiers blocking the city gate with their weapons.
A single glance made these soldiers tremble all over.
"Alright, Xiao Hei," a helpless voice came from the carriage.
The Ghoul Dog's steps halted, the bone chain on its body tightening slightly, easily bringing the carriage to a stop.
*Whoosh!*
The plant barrier covering the carriage dissolved into a shower of falling tree leaves.
Tang Zheng stood up and leaped down from the carriage. He took the adventurer badge from his waist and walked toward the soldiers defending the city.
"I'm an Adventurer."
Tang Zheng spoke as he gestured with the proof of his adventurer status.
Looking at the gold badge, the city-guarding soldiers showed no surprise on their faces. An ordinary adventurer couldn't possibly have a monster like a Ghoul Dog pull their carriage.
After a brief inspection, the soldiers quickly cleared a path. The inspection was noticeably more relaxed compared to the last time he returned to E-Rantel from the Touv Great Forest.
Tang Zheng guessed it was probably because the war between the Re-Estize Kingdom and the Baharuth Empire had ended.
Although he didn't know the result, the probability of the Kingdom's defeat was clearly much higher.
Just as Tang Zheng was about to turn and return to the carriage, an excited voice suddenly rang out.
"Lord, are you the 'Free Will' Adventurer?"
A soldier standing relatively close to Tang Zheng looked at the script on the gold badge, his spirits lifting.
Hm?
Tang Zheng's turning motion paused, and he looked at the soldier with some surprise, feeling a little puzzled inside.
When he registered as the Adventurer "Free Will," he should have been completely unknown. Not to mention, he spent most of his time outside the Kingdom's borders and hadn't taken any adventurer tasks.
He shouldn't have any reputation to speak of.
"'Free Will'?"
"Is it *that* 'Free Will'!?"
"It really is black hair!"
"The black-haired genius alchemist, he really is our Kingdom's adventurer."
"..."
Hearing the first soldier's excited voice, the surrounding city guards all looked over.
When they saw Tang Zheng's rather conspicuous black hair, their faces also lit up with excitement and fervor, and they looked at Tang Zheng with admiration.
Being the focus of such gazes, Tang Zheng frowned slightly.
He realized that the plan he had been preparing to implement had probably already deviated somewhat.
The reason Tang Zheng had chosen to act in a normal manner this time was precisely to implement his plan to "increase his reputation" to pave the way for his next objective.
However!
Seeing the looks on these soldiers' faces, Tang Zheng realized that this plan he was about to carry out had clearly gone awry.
But now was not the time to adjust the plan. It was time to figure out what exactly had happened.
He couldn't recall doing anything significant within the Re-Estize Kingdom. Or could it be that someone had been acting under his name?
"Everyone, could you please tell me what's happened?" Tang Zheng's mind raced through several thoughts as he asked the soldier who had spoken first.
"You don't know?" The soldier saw that Tang Zheng seemed completely clueless and continued in an excited tone, "You are now the most famous 'Gold Rank' Adventurer."
The other soldiers also gathered around, clamoring to speak. Although it was a bit chaotic, Tang Zheng finally managed to understand what had happened.
As expected, the "Warrior King" Gagaran had, just as he planned, left the Empire and headed for the Abelion Hills.
And it was precisely because of this event that the Empire was shaken considerably, even affecting the army on the front lines, giving the Kingdom's side a chance to breathe.
The final result of this incident was the Blood Emperor's fury.
"So, I'm wanted by the Empire now, right?" Tang Zheng raised an eyebrow.
(end of chapter)