Love and passion, cutting up the wasteland.

Chapter 649: Boss (Combined Chapter)
Shi Cha's brain seemed to be buzzing as if it had exploded, and many of his questions were explained.

Why could an ordinary group of herdsmen and merchants kill the wandering warriors whom he had recruited at great expense?

Why did they turn around and help anti-slavery fighters when they were assassinated?

——Unlike Su Cheng, Shi Cha is more willing to believe in interest relations. He does not think that others’ actions are out of mutual assistance, as such things are pitifully rare.

When it does appear, it is more of a disguise to cover up the real intention:
Either it is profitable; or they are just in the same boat and stand on the same side.

Especially after what happened tonight.

Shi Cha became even more determined.

Now that the answer was revealed, he breathed a sigh of relief - but then, another even more nervous shock came over him!

A franchise chamber of commerce with secondary authority!
As Shi Cha, who had just joined the Merchants Guild not long ago, knew it very well: the first-level franchise was only for Madam Kana's Slave Traders Guild, and the second-level franchise was the highest authority that an ordinary merchant could theoretically obtain, the ultimate in authority.

However, this is only in theory.

When Shi Cha was handling the matter at the guild's headquarters, he had already inquired about it and understood the meaningful hint from the person in charge: if you want to obtain the so-called secondary business privileges, you must "truly" join the merchant guild, rather than just an ordinary chamber of commerce seeking protection - you must be truly able to be driven by the president behind the scenes.

Long En's tentacles.

Boom!
Shi Cha fell to his knees, as if exhausted, with his hands supporting the ground - exhaustion was only one of the factors. If it was between nobles, even if the status was very different, there was no need for him to perform such a ceremony. But if he met the boss in the guild, no amount of flattery would be excessive.

This is also one of the reasons why the sword-bearing nobles denounced the collapse of rituals and music in the north.

They stripped away all the decency and warmth that covered them, exposing their original nature and the most naked subordination of interests.

Looks naturally ugly.

But efficient.

At the same time, a drop of cold sweat fell from Shi Cha's forehead, directly wetting the yellow wasteland in front of him.

Even though this conflict was caused by his retainers acting alone, the consequences were certain - they had run afoul of the true core of the guild and provoked the president's men!
I'm afraid I can't escape the blame...

"Hmm? Did something accidentally fall?" An unexpected and teasing voice sounded from above Shi Cha's head, breaking the tension and deadlock.

Lu Meng smiled and said, "Can you help me pick it up?"

Shi Cha, a shrewd man, reacted immediately. He picked up the plastic card on the ground, turned the written side down, stood up and handed it over respectfully.

The moment he held it in his hand, he felt it carefully to confirm that it was an identity certificate issued by the guild headquarters.

For example, what you get is a magnetic card that can be responded to. The higher you go, the more the value of the certificate itself shrinks, the more difficult it is to forge, and the origin of the raw materials is more under the control of the guild.

Even if they were second-level franchisees, their credentials could be checked to confirm their identities, but in this situation, no matter how many details there were, Shi Cha did not dare to conduct a detailed inspection in person.

Lu Meng took the card from his hand, put it back into her chest pocket, and asked casually, "What's written on it?"

"..." Shi Cha was silent at first, and then quickly replied: "Sorry, sir, I didn't have time to see it clearly."

This is of course a lie.

But he also thought he fully understood the current situation.

——The threat of the plunderers was lifted, and the passage between the two major areas of the United City was reopened, but none of the franchised chambers directly under the president were willing to go south again like him...

Obviously, this is an illusion.

Isn’t there one right in front of you?

The second-level chambers of commerce known to the world are all exposed in the open, that is, the so-called white gloves, which are used to operate the guild's industries and expand the guild's influence in an open and aboveboard manner.

But if it's behind the scenes.

Doing dirty work for people.

How could anyone know about that?

They are undertaking a secret mission!

After this was exposed, it should have been even more dangerous, enough to make Shi Cha turn pale and almost faint... But at the moment, there was clearly no intention of pursuing the matter further in the words of this adult.

Also.

Since it's a secret mission.

Then they don’t want to make a big fuss!

"You are really smart." Lu Meng deliberately said in an appreciative tone, "Stand up and talk."

Shi Cha brushed the dust off his clothes.

Be careful standing next to him.

"Oh no, oh no!" At this time, Tang Darui, the owner of the Skeleton Inn, ran over in a hurry, approached the camp of the Noble Chamber of Commerce, and shouted, "Guest, your people are fighting..."

Those 'herders' merely escorted the warriors back and had no intention of causing trouble for the post station, but their boss was still shocked.

He could only think that he had found a good opportunity to extricate himself and prepare to tell the leader of the other party in the conflict the news.

But then, his voice stopped abruptly.

What the drifter saw was the young nobleman whom he had carefully flattered and served, wearing an embroidered robe that was stained with dust but still gorgeous...but he was standing respectfully next to a swordsman guard wearing an ordinary long robe.

Looking at him with his head lowered, waiting to receive orders, he is even more humble than me.

Tang Darui almost couldn't help rubbing his eyes, wondering if he had seen it wrong.

Go against Tiangang.

"You know how to deal with those people, right?" Lu Meng said calmly.

"Understood." Shi Cha agreed straightforwardly, "If you trust me, please hand it over to me."

As he said this, he felt a little heartbroken.

He knew that it was time to deal with the offending warriors.

However, what made him even more distressed was that the samurai group he had hired at great expense ended up becoming tools of his retainers.

If it is normal.

Shi Cha didn't even dare to deal with the other party.

After all, if drastic actions are taken, they will be forced to turn against them and kill their master in an instant.

You know, even in South United City, there are only a very small number of hooded guards who are absolutely loyal to their master, keep their word, and would not hesitate even if ordered to commit suicide...

If a case occurs.

It was to be reported as a typical example by the imperial authorities.

The reason why role models are role models.

Because it is rare.

If everyone could do it, it wouldn't get much attention, even though it's actually quite important.

——Not to mention the wandering samurai hired purely for money.

"Yes." Lu Meng replied.

Shi Cha obeyed orders.

But now, with the support of the big shots from the guild, he can not only deal with the rebellion for himself, but also give them an explanation.

The matter was settled. He walked towards the warriors kneeling under the giant beast's skeleton, passing by Su Cheng on the way - the other party's expression was still in shock, as if he didn't understand what was happening.

The other party's identity came from the superior guild, and he was the only one who knew about this.

However, what made Shi Cha sigh was that most of the warriors who usually treated Shi En as the real head of the family and behaved respectfully chose to leave. Even if there were people who were deceived and bewitched by the false orders, with the experience of his cousin, they were probably only a small part of them.

Got instructions from adults.

That was what he was trying to identify.

Some who can still be retained can keep their lives and continue to serve... As for the rest, they can only die and be buried in the earth.

This is already kindness.

On the contrary, Su Cheng, the unsympathetic young warrior who had never come forward to serve intentionally in the past, dared to stand up and fight with the assassin at the critical moment... In the past, Shi Zai thought that he was tolerating and enduring him, which showed his magnanimity and ability to judge people... Now it seems that this is not the case at all.

One slip-up can lead to a big mistake.

It was because he remembered the old relationship that his uncle chose him, and he trusted him to the utmost, but in fact he never deeply understood the other party's true thoughts.

I almost missed someone I could rely on.

However, when Shi Cha saw Su Cheng at this moment, he no longer dared to treat him with the attitude of a master treating a servant... Obviously, the warrior he recruited seemed to have a acquaintance with a big shot from the guild, and compared to himself, the other person might be more appreciated.

Who knows, I might even have to rely on him.

So, Shi Cha resisted the urge to salute, and preserved the last bit of dignity as a former noble lord. He patted Su Cheng's shoulder armor like a relative and walked forward.

The warrior was left confused.

In the past, Su Cheng did not like to flatter his master like his other colleagues, not because he was arrogant, but because he was not good at it.

Otherwise, he would not have accidentally offended the senior military officers, and not only would his military achievements on the battlefield be wiped out, but he would even be accused of delaying military affairs.

If this matter was not indeed fabricated and it was difficult to list charges, and the other party was too concerned about his reputation and did not want to lower his status and give others an advantage... Su Cheng would have had the opportunity to be safely removed from the army and become a wandering warrior.

It’s already a good ending.

Afterwards, Su Cheng had no intention of revenge at all.

After all, he was the commander-in-chief of the entire Iron Valley front. Although he had recently suffered several defeats under the fierce attack of the Crusade Marshal and High Inquisitor Valtner and almost retreated to the border city-state... he was at least a frontier military marshal and a pillar of the country.

He is not someone who can be provoked.

Su Cheng took the lesson of this time deeply into his heart. Even though he was proficient in machete fighting skills, he was still afraid of repeating the same mistake again - to some extent, it became a knot in the heart of this warrior, and even hindered the pure improvement of his martial arts.

Therefore, the farther away the better.

Even to South Union City.

On the other hand, Su Cheng was actually well aware of the hint of dissatisfaction hidden in Shi Cha's seemingly tolerant attitude.

But now, seeing that his former master's attitude towards him had changed 180 degrees, while his own approach had not changed in essence.

He began to realize:
Maybe, I didn’t do anything wrong…

No matter how slender and straight a piece of wood is, if it tries to pass through a winding path, it will be regarded as a piece of waste wood.

Lu Meng walked to his side.

Su Cheng turned around: "Who are you?"

As a martial artist, he doesn't understand the workings of power like Shi Cha does, but precisely because of this, he can sense something wrong that the other party cannot be aware of.

With your strength, eyesight, and knowledge of swordsmanship... if anything unusual happens among the herdsmen during the day, it is impossible for you to be unaware of it.

unless……

You are the anomaly itself.

“Is this answer important?” Lu Meng smiled. “No one cares where you come from… Similarly, the way a person appears is actually the whole picture we can see.”

Or, in short.

Most of the questions in this world can be answered with two answers:
None of my business.

And, it’s none of your business.

After understanding what Lu Meng meant, Su Cheng laughed out loud. Although his doubts were not completely eliminated, the haze deep in his heart seemed to have been swept away, and he felt extremely refreshed.

No more depression.

"Ouch——"

At this moment, a half-howl, half-whistle sound of a dog was heard from far away, which scared the guys who were trying hard to muster up the courage to clean up the mess.

Su Cheng was clear about it. He looked at Lu Meng and asked, "Did you find the person?"

"It's my stupid dog." The young man in the bamboo hat closed his eyes and listened, then shook his head with some regret, "He lost it."

“Anti-slavery, after all.”

The warrior said as a matter of course that he didn't care too much.

Just like said.

——It’s none of my business.

……

……

"You, you damned dog..." The man in black grabbed the jaws of the bone wolf that pounced on him, pried it open and pushed it out, "Let go!"

Xiaogu didn't care and continued to push forward. The fangs in its bloody mouth were terrifying, but it didn't use any strength. It just stretched out its long tongue and swung it wildly, drooling all over the man in black.

During the struggle, the black-clad man's mask and hood were pulled off, revealing an unruly and free-looking crew cut - it was the tech hunter Chad.

If we only talk about boxing and kicking skills.

He is one of the best among this group of people.

On the other side, a petite figure stood on a bone pillar, watching the scene with interest: "You were caught up by his dog so quickly... You are really the worst class I have ever taught."

It's the glass that has been replaced.

If it weren't for Chad's holdup and Xiaogu's tracking, this anti-slavery activist would have already escaped.

"Huh... I've only been studying with you for a short time, and I'm just an auditor." Chad finally pushed away the big dog that came forward to play with him, panting, "Besides, this is a mountain dog..."

Mountain dogs are a special breed raised by cannibal hunters in the north, and are good at tracking and hunting... But for tech hunters like him, there has always been a rumor within the organization: those bounty hunters who specialize in hunting the painted tribe may have a close connection with the tech hunter headquarters.

This mountain dog was most likely bred with their help.

In the north, the technological hunters did cooperate with the cannibal hunters, but the specific details of the above rumors cannot be verified.

"You have a point."

Bo nodded and jumped down. His light body landed right on Xiaogu's back and he sat steadily.

In the past, although Xiaogu had already grown up, his body was still smaller. Until he was strengthened by the White Wolf Module, his normal body is now the size of a Buried Bone Wolf.

Catching her was no problem at all.

(End of this chapter)