Chapter 3

Fiona found it hard to understand Tang En's thoughts. To her, possessing such immense power was something to be extremely proud of, but it seemed Tang En didn't think so.

Tang En must have a very formidable enemy, which is why he had to hide his strength.

Tang En glanced at Fiona's goods and frowned, asking, "What are you going to do with these goods?"

Fiona was also in a difficult position. These goods were her last capital. She had originally planned to cross Ellington and take a detour to the north to Caspami Castle to try her luck and see if she could turn things around. Now, everyone was dead, and she was the only one left, with no way to take these things with her.

Tang En asked, "You're a merchant, right?"

"Exactly!"

Fiona said proudly, "I am a member of the Golden Rose family!"

"The Golden Rose family..."

Tang En thought for a while before remembering that in the game's background, this was a massive guild that accompanied the rise of the Ilrus Empire, once spread throughout all the explored areas of Plandar. Unfortunately, it had now completely disappeared.

Fiona was probably the last member of the Golden Rose family.

"Given your current situation, it seems quite dire. How about I hire you as the chief commercial advisor of Ellington?"

Tang En knew that the development of the territory depended on various talents. Since he had no one else to use, and Fiona had the necessary skills, he decided to try to keep her—besides, from her attitude, she seemed very willing to do so.

"I am honored!"

Fiona was indeed pleasantly surprised; this was probably her only chance now!

Although Ellington wasn't a bustling place, with a lord's support, and such a powerful one at that, would Ellington remain the same in the future?

"Since that's the case, why don't you leave your goods with me for now?"

After saying this, Tang En used his Mage Hand to lift the goods and put them all in his backpack.

"Storage equipment!"

Fiona was greatly surprised, but then she thought, although storage equipment was very precious, Tang En was such a powerful mage, so it wasn't strange for him to have it, and she quickly accepted it.

Tang En then instructed, "From now on, I am just an ordinary alchemist, understand?"

"Understood, my lord."

"Call me Tang En."

"That would be too disrespectful."

"Alright, wake up the driver. He's been unconscious for quite a while."

After waking the driver, the driver was naturally puzzled by the disappearance of the bandits but didn't ask much. He was just grateful to have his life back. So, Tang En and Fiona continued their journey to Ellington in the carriage.

In the carriage, the heavy atmosphere made Fiona uneasy. She looked at Tang En, who was sitting with his eyes closed, and after a long while, she couldn't help but ask, "My lord, why did you want to buy Ellington as your territory?"

Tang En opened his eyes and asked with interest, "Why do you ask?"

"Because although Ellington is large and is the largest existing territory in Ilrus, it is quite remote, bordering the frontier. The nearby Ladia Forest and Ambres Mountains limit Ellington's development space. Even the northern Caspami is a better choice than Ellington."

"Caspami is indeed good, but Ellington isn't as bad as you say," Tang En shrugged. "At least to me, the rich mineral and natural resources within Ellington are something other territories lack."

Fiona smiled bitterly, "My lord, you are truly optimistic. I doubt you will be so happy once you get there."

"The poorer it is, the more room there is for you to show your value, isn't it?"

"…I will do my best!"

Tang En smiled but said nothing. Soon, Fiona would understand why he was so confident.

To the natives, Ellington was naturally a very remote place, but to players, it was different. The natives didn't know what was in the Ambres Mountains, but Tang En did. The main cities of dwarves and gnomes were in the Ambres Mountains, the Emerald Forest to the southwest was the capital of the elves, and not far to the east was the human capital of Alinx, making it a transportation hub.

In addition, with the rich mineral and forest resources and vast undeveloped land in the Ellington territory, many players of various races traded here in the game, making it a true treasure trove.

Of course, the game was the game, and reality was reality. Tang En couldn't guarantee that this world was exactly the same as the game world. For now, he could only cautiously explore and move forward.

After crossing the last hill, the view opened up. A silver ribbon of the Emerald River, flowing from the Ambres Mountains, cut through the plain and flowed into the distance. The Ladia Forest was nearby, and a small town was situated upstream of the river, next to the forest.

That was Ellington.

Indeed, the vast territory of Ellington had its administrative center in this small town.

Fiona glanced at Tang En, hoping to see some disappointment on his face, but she only saw excitement and joy.

Tang En noticed Fiona's gaze and smiled, "Surprised I'm so happy?"

Fiona nodded a bit embarrassedly.

Tang En thought for a moment and smiled, "Let me tell you a story."

Fiona immediately focused.

"In a distant country, there was once an ordinary person who accidentally obtained a huge sum of 50,000 gold coins."

"50,000 gold coins!"

Fiona was amazed, "For an ordinary person, that's a huge sum. What happened next? Did he use the money to do business and become a noble?"

"Someone asked him, what do you plan to do with the 50,000 gold coins? The person said he planned to buy a house in the suburbs of the capital and pay the down payment."

Fiona was stunned, "Buy a house? Down payment?"

Tang En continued, "Someone asked, what about the rest? The rest? The person said, the rest will be paid off gradually."

Fiona was completely confused, clearly not understanding.

Tang En sighed, looking disappointed, "Ah, a world where no one understands a cold joke, life is truly as lonely as snow..."

Fiona awkwardly lowered her head, feeling very ignorant in front of Tang En.

Tang En looked out the window, his calm exterior hiding an excited heart.

Land!

Such a vast expanse of land, all of it belonged to him!

Here, he was the king of this land!

He could freely express his ideas and implement his plans!

Without any reservations!

"But the residents of Ellington have a rather strange schedule, starting to cook so early."

Tang En scratched his head, looking at the smoke rising from the town.

Fiona looked closely and was shocked, "That's not cooking smoke! The town is on fire!"

Tang En was stunned, "What!?"

Fiona immediately urged the driver to speed up and said, "Cooking smoke can't be black, and there are many people and horses gathered around the town. Something must have happened!"

Tang En was furious, "My territory hasn't even been handed over, and someone is already causing trouble!?"

Fiona hesitated and said, "Ellington is too remote, so the security is very poor, and bandits often come..."

"The current lord? The sheriff? The militia? Are they all eating shit!?"

Fiona sighed, not wanting to be too blunt. Once they arrived in Ellington, Tang En would understand the real situation.

The carriage soon reached the outskirts of Ellington, but the driver refused to get any closer. After paying the driver, Tang En dismissed him and walked towards Ellington with a grim face.

Before they even entered the town, they could hear the cries and the wild laughter from inside.

"Child! My child!"

"Ha ha ha—die! Gold! Food! Women! They're all ours!"

Fiona's face turned pale, and she instinctively hid behind Tang En. Knowing he was there, she felt a bit safer, confident that he would protect her.

After all, he was such a powerful mage!

The ground in the town was covered in blood and entrails. The dead residents stared at Tang En, as if blaming him for coming too late.

Tang En took a deep breath, the thick smoke stinging his lungs, and his eyes were slightly moist. "These bandits, damn them."

With one sentence, he sentenced them to death.

"Follow me."

Tang En picked up a long stick from the ground, used by the residents to resist, and slowly walked towards the center of the town.

"Huh? There's still a resistor?"

As the voice sounded, a bandit suddenly rushed out, a cold blade slashing towards Tang En's neck!

Clang!

Tang En caught the sword with his bare left hand.

The bandit was stunned.

Bare hand?

Catch a sword?

He was unharmed!?

"Die—"

Tang En swung the stick with a cold voice, the stick breaking the air and smashing into the bandit's head with a sharp whistling sound!

"Bang!"

The bandit's head exploded like a watermelon.

Instant kill!

Even though Fiona had seen many brutal scenes, the sudden bloody sight made her stomach churn.

In contrast, Tang En, having mentally prepared, had already adapted.

He casually picked up a blood-stained sword and threw it to Fiona, "Take it for self-defense."

"With you here, I won't need it."

"Neither will I."

Tang En sneered, "Using a sword to kill them is too lenient."

Compared to the sword easily tearing through their bodies, using a stick to crush their bones bit by bit was more satisfying!

"Ha ha ha—lie down obediently, or I'll kill you!"

"No, no! Help—anyone—please save me!!"

Rough voices and women's cries and pleas for help came from behind the houses.

Fiona clenched her fists in anger, "These scum!"

"Don't worry," Tang En turned and walked over, his voice icy cold, "This is my territory, and they will all die!"