Chapter 10

After leaving Daiwei's seaside villa, Luo Lin rushed to the restaurant by the dock.

It was now dinnertime, and the restaurant was packed with people. Luo Lin scanned the crowd with his eyes, finally settling on a young man in the corner who was drinking alone.

This young man was wearing very old clothes, not much different from an ordinary dock worker, but a dagger was tucked into the band on his leg, and a sword hung from his waist, which made him stand out from the surrounding laborers. The restaurant was crowded, but no one was willing to share a table with him.

Horn, the dock ranger, specialized in righting wrongs... that was the polite way to put it. In less polite terms, he was a professional enforcer, taking jobs for money, and occasionally collecting protection fees. This was Horn's current identity. But ten years later, he became one of the most trusted lieutenants of the human alliance's commander-in-chief. After serving as a lieutenant for five years, he was directly promoted to commander-in-chief due to his irreplaceable contributions, truly rising from the grassroots to become a hero.

This man had great talent, which was the main reason Luo Lin came to this restaurant.

His gaze lingered for a moment, then he pushed through the crowd to the bar and said to the barmaid, "Cui Ni, give me a roasted deer leg!"

The smart brain told him that to quickly replenish energy and improve his body, he needed to eat as much animal protein as possible. In other words, he needed to eat meat, and lots of it.

"A deer leg costs one silver coin," Cui Ni looked up, saw it was Luo Lin, and then lowered her head to look at the bill, stating the price with a indifferent expression. She didn't think this poor boy could afford it.

"Here you go!" Luo Lin slapped a silver coin on the table.

Cui Ni was surprised, looked at the silver coin, and then turned to look at Luo Lin, astonished, "Where did you get the money?"

Everyone on the dock knew each other well, and they were all familiar with each other's backgrounds.

Before Luo Lin could answer, a rough voice rang out from the group of diners, "Cui Ni, you don't know, Luo Lin went out to salvage goods today, and he made the most money! He even killed a shark in the sea, that's really impressive!"

The speaker was Lint, one of the salvagers today.

"Oh~~ He killed a shark?"

"Killed it in the sea? Is that true?"

Lint was one of the witnesses to the event, and he had first-hand information. Seeing everyone's attention on him, he said excitedly, "Of course it's true, everyone on the Daiwei saw it. Valgan, you were there too, right?"

Valgan, a sailor on the Daiwei, was known for being quiet but never lying, a fact acknowledged on the dock. He nodded, "It's true."

Only then did the people in the restaurant believe it, all drawing in a sharp breath.

"Wow, Luo Lin, you're tough!"

"I never thought you were so capable."

Seeing someone vouch for him and spread his name for free, Luo Lin was more than happy. He laughed heartily and snapped his fingers at the surprised Cui Ni, "Little girl, come on, bring a cup of ale to everyone here, it's on me today."

As he spoke, he slapped another silver coin on the table.

Everyone in the restaurant, except Cui Ni, cheered loudly.

"I'm not a little girl... and spending money like that, you'll never have a good life," Cui Ni huffed, but she still took the silver coin and began serving ale to everyone in the restaurant.

Luo Lin didn't mind at all. Once the ale was served, he raised his glass, "Come on, cheers!"

"Cheers!"

"Drink up!"

Everyone responded, and for a moment, the atmosphere in the restaurant was unprecedentedly lively.

"Great, Luo Lin, you're the man!" someone gave Luo Lin a thumbs up.

This was exactly the effect Luo Lin wanted. Men bond over drinks and gather fame through chivalry. With a good reputation, one would be looked up to anywhere, and with a great reputation, people might even come to follow.

For the battle a year from now, to gather strength, he wouldn't miss any opportunity to improve himself.

Soon, the roasted deer leg arrived, and Luo Lin sat down next to Horn. In fact, this was the only empty seat in the restaurant, as everywhere else was full.

Horn glanced at him. Although he didn't like sharing a table, he didn't say anything coldly to drive him away, given that he had just had a cup of ale on Luo Lin's tab. He didn't look at the deer leg, just silently eating a large piece of oat bread in front of him.

Luo Lin said casually, "Hey, Horn, I can't finish this whole deer leg by myself, want to share?"

Horn looked up and asked directly, "What do you want me to do for you?"

He always believed there was no such thing as a free lunch.

"Nothing, just want to make a friend. If you don't want to, that's fine," Luo Lin said nonchalantly. He knew Horn's character; this man had great ambitions and was extremely proud. If you tried to flatter him, you wouldn't win his favor, but rather his disdain.

Horn was somewhat surprised by Luo Lin's response. He thought for a moment and nodded, "You can kill a shark in the sea, that's impressive. I'll be your friend."

"Ha, then let's share," Luo Lin pushed the deer leg to the center of the table, then, without waiting for Horn's response, picked up a knife, cut some meat, and drank his ale, feeling very content.

Horn hesitated for a moment, seeing the large deer leg and remembering the invitation, he also pulled out his dagger to cut a piece.

Although he was a ranger, Horn always had principles and refused to do many shady deals, so his life was quite poor, and he rarely ate meat. Once he tasted the venison, he couldn't stop.

A roasted deer leg weighing several pounds was devoured by the two men in less than five minutes, leaving only the bones.

Luo Lin finished his ale in one gulp, patted his stomach, and laughed, "Ha, I'm full."

Horn's cold expression softened, and he even smiled, "Thanks, I haven't eaten so well in a long time."

"Thanks for what? Just enjoy it," Luo Lin wiped the grease from his mouth and stood up, "I'm full, I'll be going."

"Wait, let's go together," Horn also stood up.

"I live in the shelter, we're probably going in different directions," Luo Lin smiled.

"I know, but you might need some help on the way back," Horn said, glancing at a few figures outside the restaurant.

Luo Lin looked and recognized them as thugs from the bully Malfoy's gang. They were here for no good, likely to rob him.

"Alright, let's go together."

The two walked out of the restaurant. Less than thirty meters later, the thugs followed, five of them, each holding a wooden stick or something similar.

"Indeed, they're after me. I made some money today, and they think I'm an easy target," Luo Lin said coldly. Among all the salvagers, he was the only one without any support.

Horn laughed, "Just a bunch of clowns, are you afraid?"

"Haha, are they tougher than a shark?" Luo Lin countered.

Horn laughed heartily, finding this thin young man quite interesting and a good match for his personality. They might become close friends.

"Can you use a dagger?" he handed the dagger to Luo Lin.

"Of course," Luo Lin nodded and took the dagger.

"Then let's give them a taste, I've had it with Malfoy," Horn said coldly.

"There's a small alley ahead, let's fight there."

Horn agreed and followed Luo Lin into the alley, the five thugs quickening their pace to follow.

Once in the alley, the thugs found Luo Lin and Horn waiting for them.

"Horn, this has nothing to do with you, don't get involved!" the leader of the thugs said.

"It's not up to you to decide. I'll do what I want," Horn waved his sword.

"Hmph, as you wish," the man turned to Luo Lin, "You..."

"Shut up!" Luo Lin interrupted coldly, "If you want to taste my dagger, come on!"

He held the dagger, the moonlight reflecting off the blade, casting a cold, chilling glow. Combined with his attitude, a palpable and indescribable killing aura spread around.

Horn clearly felt the cold aura from Luo Lin, surprised by this seemingly ordinary young man.

The five thugs were also intimidated by Luo Lin's demeanor, exchanging glances and seeing hesitation in each other's eyes. Despite their tough appearance, they preferred to bully the weak and would back down when faced with a real threat.

This Luo Lin, though thin, had reportedly killed a shark in the sea, a story that was spreading around the dock. Now, it seemed to be true.

The thugs felt that Luo Lin had changed, no longer the crying young man begging for money from the boss a few days ago.

"Luo Lin, don't be ungrateful. Leave five... three silver coins, and we'll let you go," the leader said, with a hint of negotiation.

Luo Lin snorted, "Enough talk! Either leave or fight!"

"You..." the thug leader wanted to speak but was at a loss for words, as any response would seem like a sign of weakness.

Luo Lin seized this moment, shouting loudly, "Get lost!"

The sound echoed like thunder in the alley, startling the already hesitant thugs, even scaring Horn, who was standing next to him.

Seizing this moment, Luo Lin charged forward, colliding with the thug leader, roaring, "Kill!"

He was used to playing a warrior and liked to roar during battles, not for show, but to use the power of sound to intimidate his opponents, a tactic that worked well against those with weak wills.

These thugs were such opponents.

The intimidating battle cry and the fierce attack made the thug leader visibly nervous. He didn't dare to fight back, instinctively retreating and swinging his wooden stick.

The thug swung his stick, which Luo Lin blocked with his arm, feeling some pain but no serious injury. The thug's hesitation meant the stick had little force.

Luo Lin successfully reached his opponent, his momentum growing like a fierce tiger descending from the mountain. He roared again, "Die!"

The thunderous sound, combined with the alley's echo, made the thug leader's face turn pale, unable to fight back, only retreating. At that moment, he felt Luo Lin was not human but a ferocious beast.

Luo Lin took the opportunity to stab, not wanting to kill to avoid more trouble. He controlled the strike, piercing the thug's shoulder, going straight through.

The dagger was quickly pulled out, and blood gushed from the thug's shoulder, making the scene extremely bloody.

"..."

"..."

These thugs, used to fighting with wooden sticks, had never seen such a ruthless scene. Luo Lin had transformed into a killing machine, terrifying them. They were completely demoralized.

"Run!"

Someone shouted, and the five thugs, including the injured leader, turned and ran, disappearing in an instant.

Luo Lin didn't chase them, sneering, "A bunch of clowns!"

Only then did Horn recover, realizing he hadn't even had a chance to fight. Despite Luo Lin's thin frame, he had easily intimidated five large thugs, especially the overwhelming aura he had displayed.

"I thought you were going to kill him," Horn said, still shocked.

"Just scaring him. I know Vandom's laws," Luo Lin chuckled, returning to his normal self, just an ordinary young man.

"You're different from before," Horn, who knew the old Luo Lin, said.

Luo Lin smiled faintly, "Facing the shark, I suddenly realized. If you're too nice, people will take advantage of you. I was too weak before."

Horn was taken aback, then nodded, "You're right."

"Here's your dagger, it helped a lot."

"I didn't expect it to be so powerful in your hands," Horn took the dagger and then said, "Don't go back to the shelter tonight, come to my place."

"I have no objections," Luo Lin laughed, indeed not wanting to return to the dirty, smelly pigsty.