Chapter 43

"Get moving, you muscle-bound pigs, you apes who can do nothing but sweat! If a single crate isn't on the ship by midnight, I'll cut off all your fingers and feed them to the dogs!" A burly man, who looked like a foreman, led a few people into the warehouse, using a whip and curses to urge them to work faster.

Due to the urgency of time, the laborers were busy moving goods and did not notice the two people hiding in the dark corner.

Gordon and Shelley were squeezed into a narrow space between two stacks of wooden crates. To avoid being seen by outsiders, they had to press tightly against each other, with almost every part of their bodies touching.

"Why did I wear a breastplate?" Gordon thought with regret. In this situation, he was actually quite willing. The two of them were intimately pressed together, and even through the leather armor, he could clearly feel the warmth and softness of the girl's body, her rapidly beating heart, and the faint scent of her body lingering at his nose.

Perhaps due to the residual effects of the drug, under this intimate contact, Shelley felt a strange sensation growing inside her. It was as if someone was tickling her heart with a feather.

Gordon noticed the change in the girl. He chuckled softly, bringing his face close to Shelley's pale neck, his hands slightly lowering to rest on her knees, then sliding up her long, firm legs, and gently sinking his fingers into her firm, soft buttocks.

Shelley's whole body trembled, and she reached out to stop him, but Gordon's breath on her ear melted all her strength.

"Mr. Gordon, don't..."

"Is it 'don't stop' or 'not here'?" Gordon whispered in Shelley's ear.

The half-elf ranger almost wanted to cry: "Not stop? Not here? Neither option seems right!"

The girl's reaction was just as Gordon had guessed—half-resisting, half-consenting, without any clear resistance. Since the last time he saw Shelley in the Dwarven workshop, the half-elf ranger had often come to his house as a guest. She would intentionally or unintentionally find topics to chat with Gordon, and during their conversations, there were times when they would touch each other, such as when Gordon corrected Shelley's casting of a cantrip.

If a girl didn't mind physical contact with a man, what did it mean? Gordon, being experienced, naturally understood. He didn't dislike Shelley; in fact, he quite liked her. Since she seemed willing, why should he refuse such a delicious offer?

Hearing Gordon's whisper, Shelley's muscles suddenly tensed—this physical change gave Gordon a unique and wonderful sensation, but it didn't change anything.

"Don't... not here..." Shelley twisted her enticing body, almost moaning the words with her tongue.

"You're right, the environment here is terrible, no atmosphere." Gordon blew lightly into Shelley's ear, making her body tremble again. Not far away, the laborers were still busy, and the foreman was still cursing them. This environment made intimate contact with a beautiful girl even more stimulating.

However, Gordon didn't take it further but stopped, waiting for those people to leave. This made Shelley finally breathe a sigh of relief.

The noisy footsteps gradually faded away, and Gordon and Shelley stepped out of the narrow space one after another.

Shelley's face was flushed, and she said with a mix of anger and coquettishness, "Mr. Gordon, you're a big bad guy, to take advantage of your sister's friend like that."

"What's wrong with that?" Gordon looked innocent, "I remember it was you who pulled me in and squeezed together. If I did nothing in response to a beautiful girl's invitation, wouldn't that be too impolite?"

"Actually, I was planning to use an invisibility spell to avoid those people." Gordon lifted his robe and pointed to two vials of invisibility potion attached to his waist.

Shelley felt cornered, almost trapped by Gordon's sophistry. Although she had a good impression of Gordon and didn't mind this intimate contact, she didn't want him to interpret it as her offering herself, which would make her seem cheap and shameless.

Gordon knew he couldn't tease her too much. He smiled and gently held Shelley's sweaty, slippery hand. "Come on, don't be angry. It's dangerous here; let's go."

"Okay, Mr. Gordon." Shelley felt that Gordon's words had a special charm, making her obedient.

"Don't call me Mr. Gordon, just call me Gordon."

Calling him by his first name was something only very intimate people would do. Shelley nodded slightly and obediently followed behind Gordon, like a virtuous wife.

Gordon's top priority now was to pass on the information he obtained in the sewers. Although mages were powerful, Gordon, who hadn't even mastered third-level spells, was far from being a powerful mage. It was impossible to eliminate all the enemies in the sewers with just his and Shelley's strength.

He needed a good friend who could trust him without seeing physical evidence, and who had enough influence to convince the city guard, the city militia, the lord's private army, and even the major temples to send troops to clear out the area.

Among the people he knew, only Dorn Lannister met this standard.

However, the badge Dorn gave him had a communication range limit. Gordon was now near the dock in the eastern suburbs of Bluewater City. Mr. Lannister was likely in a luxurious bedroom at Rainbow Spring Manor, celebrating the Harvest Festival with noble ladies, or noble ladies, engaging in healthy and beneficial activities. There was no doubt that this guy was used to such behavior.

To contact him, Gordon would have to travel a considerable distance.

Since entering the sewers, Gordon and Shelley had killed three people. Although they had carefully disposed of the bodies, if anyone went missing for a long time, it would raise suspicion. Gordon knew it was only a matter of time before he was discovered. He needed to act quickly.

If he could expose the Ritter family's plot to smuggle weapons to the orcs, it would undoubtedly be a good thing for Ferelden and the Far Frost Province. Of course, Gordon himself would also benefit greatly.

The conflict between the Ritter family and Gordon was already irreconcilable, and it could only end in one of them being destroyed. Although Gordon had thwarted Denvir's two plots and gained the upper hand temporarily, it would be difficult for him to completely defeat the Ritter family. The Ritter family, despite being called upstarts by the nobility, had risen quickly, and their shallow family history and powerful wealth did not mean they could be easily defeated.

To defeat the Ritter family with just the Freeman family, which consisted only of him and his sister, would require a significant amount of time and effort—this was even with Gordon's golden finger.

But now, a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity was in front of Gordon. By exposing their secret support for the orcs, the Ritter family would face a catastrophic disaster.

Moreover, with the great merit of exposing the Ritter family's plot, Gordon believed he would surely gain the favor of the upper nobility. After his sister told him she hoped the Freeman family could regain their fief, Gordon carefully considered the possibility. He found that he had two paths to achieve his goal.

The first, which men often enjoy, is the "get rich by dating, build a country" route. In the human world of Telos, due to the unique inheritance system, nobles can merge land and gain titles through marriage. For example, the founding emperor of the Ferelden Empire, Derrick Anduin, during the Dark War, married six noblewomen through marriage, accumulating titles such as "Earl of Anjouman," "Marquis of Long River," "Earl of Brittany," and "Duke of Vassarando" under one person, greatly increasing his power, and ultimately ending the division and chaos at the beginning of the Fourth Era, establishing the great Platinum Empire of Ferelden.

If Gordon could court a noble lady or a lady with a fief, all problems would be solved. However, with only 11 points in charisma, Gordon lacked the handsome looks of Dorn Lannister or the extraordinary talent of the legendary golden-scaled warrior Long Tao Hou, making this path extremely difficult.

The more feasible method was the second one. Pledge allegiance to an upper noble, earn merit through one's abilities, and ultimately win a fief. Although it was a bit unpleasant to work for someone else, since he was in the noble class, he had to use the system to advance. It was like exchanging labor for money on Earth, just an equivalent exchange.

Gordon carefully weighed the pros and cons in his heart. Although the Ritter family would invest a large amount of force to ensure the success of this smuggling operation, and he would bear great risks, everything was worth it.

...

The Harvest Festival celebration in Bluewater City reached its peak at noon, and the noise of the reveling crowd even reached Denvir Ritter's ears.

At this time, the eldest son and first heir of the Ritter family was still dressed in his luxurious robe, adorned with dazzling precious metal jewelry, standing by the dock.

On this festive day, he did not stay in the Ritter family's mansion to indulge with his many concubines but remained in this desolate and remote riverside, enduring the bone-chilling autumn river breeze, and mixing with a group of sweaty, rough sailors. The reason was simple: this operation was too critical and could not afford any mistakes. He had to be there in person to ensure everything went smoothly.

Every time he saw the laborers, with their heavy steps, carry a large crate full of weapons onto the ship, Denvir's heart would ease a little.

At this moment, a man with a long face approached Denvir. He had a long ponytail at the back of his head, like the mane of a horse. Because of this unique hairstyle, the man, who managed all the Ritter family's private guards, was called "Mane."

"Master, something's wrong," Mane walked over with a gloomy face, bringing news that Denvir least wanted to hear.