A Man’s Duty

"Beep, Life Energy Points detected. Do you wish to absorb it?"

"Yes."

"Beep, absorbing."

"Beep, absorption complete. A total of 140 Life Energy Points and 11 Spiritual Energy Points were obtained."

Life Energy Points: 217

Spiritual Energy Points: 21

"Hehehe, I just used up 150 Life Energy Points earlier, but here comes another 140. I almost didn't spend any points at all then!"

Parr, who was following behind John in the direction of the convoy, narrowed his eyes and revealed a big smile. With these Life Energy Points, he could level up further.

'Wait, it seems that these Life Energy Points have no other uses for the time being other than increasing realms and leveling up my Brilliant Light Talent! It required 1,000 Life Energy Points to level up Get Up On Time. These current points were simply not enough. The other two skills had already been maxed out, while the other two talents required Spiritual Energy Points. As for my Spiritual Energy Points…'

Looking at his Spiritual Energy Points, the smile on Parr's face disappeared. He realized that he did not lack Life Energy Points for the time being, but his Spiritual Energy Points were not in abundance.

'There's nothing else I can do!'

Turning off the data panel, Parr decided not to level up first. He needs to save more. He estimated that the next level would require 200 to 300 Life Energy Points. His current Life Energy Points were not yet enough.

…

"You bunch of cowards, charge! Isn't it just a few deaths? What are you afraid of? There are so many of us here. Why don't we just pile them up and kill them all?"

The bandit leader was hopping mad when his men surrounded him and did not attack the merchants. Earlier, because of the temptation from money, the bandits thronged forward like a swarm of bees. However, the death of their companions made them retreat in an instant.

The convoy was not unscathed either. A few of them were also killed or injured. The others surrounded Quinna even more tightly with swords and clubs in their hands. They stared at the bandits, who had at least twice the number of people as them.

Quinna looked at the corpses of her subordinates, and her eyes were filled with anger. These were the experts of the caravan that she had personally trained! It was such a pity for them to die at the hands of bandits.

Quinna had already seen through the background of the bandits. They were nothing more than a mob dressed like beggars. This was probably the first time they had taken action. What bad luck! But now was not the time to think about this. She had to get out of the crisis as soon as possible. She lowered her head and thought for a moment. Quinna looked at the man with the loudest voice in the caravan.

"Shout. Tell them that if they leave now, I will give them two Wind Wolf gold coins each."

"Yes!"

"Cough!"

The man with a loud voice cleared his throat and shouted, "Bandits, our boss said that if you leave now, we will give you two Wind Wolf gold coins each. But if you still wish to fight, then you should be prepared to lose half of your numbers!"

"Erm..."

The bandits surrounding the convoy looked at each other again. They were being tempted again. The price of two Wind Wolf gold coins was very high. There was no need to risk the five Wind Wolf silver coins their leader promised. As for what their leader said about the merchants seeking revenge, they realized that they could recognize their faces since it was currently very dark. After taking the money, they could retreat into the forest and find a small town to hide in. After things had calmed down, nothing would happen to them.

This group of bandits was indeed a motley crew. They were not strong-willed and easily tempted. If it had been a group of seasoned bandits, Quinna's convoy would have long been finished by now.

However, this was understandable. These bandits were originally a group of beggars struggling in Bluestone City. Because of the recent changes in the city, they had lost their source of income, which was why they served under Karan. It was also the bandit leader who tricked them into performing this attack.

"A bunch of trash!"

The bandit leader gritted his teeth in anger when he saw that the bandits were tempted again. However, there was no other option. He has to rely on them to take care of Quinna's convoy. As long as the bandits took care of Quinna, all the blame would fall on them. It had nothing to do with Karan, and there was no trace of it at all— this was Karan's plan.

As Karan's most loyal subordinate, the bandit leader could not let Quinna convince his men. What should he do then? Continue to bluff! He had already thought of what to say. Increase the price!

"Brothers, don't believe the words of the merchants. They are lying to you. If you want gold coins, I will give them to you. Kill them. Five gold coins each. You didn't hear wrong! I will give you five gold coins each!"

Five gold coins!

Their leader's words once again convinced the bandits.

"Let's attack together!"

A few bandit captains looked at each other, clenched their weapons, and led their subordinates to surround the merchants. A fierce battle was about to happen again. However, a roar suddenly resounded through the sky.

"Stop!"

This roar was louder than the man's voice from Quinna's convoy and the bandit leader. The power contained in it directly suppressed the bandits. They all turned their heads to look behind them. What they saw was their leader being stepped on by another man. That man's body was emitting a red light. He was holding the bandit leader's neck with one hand, while his other hand was holding an extraordinarily looking sword.

"A Knight!"

"It's a Knight!"

"Run!"

"The patrol team is coming!"

These bandits were quite knowledgeable. They instantly exploded with fear when they saw the Battle Qi on John's body. They thought that the patrol team of Bluestone City had come!

Some were so scared that they collapsed on the ground. Some were frozen on the spot, trembling all over, unable to move their feet. Some even wet their pants. However, most of them had fled into the distance.

"Those who run will die!"

John roared again. He waved the sword in his hand, and his Battle Qi directly cut the fastest bandit into two halves. The other bandits who wanted to escape were instantly frightened.

"Sir, please spare us!"

"We're not even real bandits!"

The bandits knelt and begged for mercy. John was not moved at all. He roared and asked them to gather together. Then, he asked the people from Quinna's convoy to tie them up with ropes.

…

"Thank you, Sir Knight, for saving us. I'm Quinna from the Magilla Chamber of Commerce. I'll pay you later."

Quinna strolled to John and slightly raised her skirt to bow. Just as she was about to talk about the payment, she saw the face of the bandit leader in John's hand. She instantly covered her mouth and widened her eyes, then took a few steps back. She looked at John vigilantly.

"Do you know him?"

John narrowed his eyes and sized up Quinna, praising the beautiful woman in his heart. Then, he saw Quinna's actions and realized that Quinna knew the bandit leader personally. He threw the bandit leader to the ground and told Quinna about what had happened in the forest earlier.

"Sir Knight, what did you say? A gray-haired young man?"

After hearing John's words, Quinna's eyes widened. A guess appeared in her heart, and she hurriedly asked,

"Sir Knight, can you please bring me to that man?"

"Of course! It's my honor to serve a beautiful lady." John did not refuse. He sheathed his sword and politely extended a hand towards Quinna.

"Beautiful lady, the forest is dangerous. Please hold my hand so that I can protect you."

"Thank you!"

Quinna bowed again. She did not mind that John's hand was dirty. She directly reached out and grabbed John's hand, and the two of them went into the forest.

Parr, who was ignored, turned around and looked at the backs of John and Quinna. He rubbed his chin and nodded before muttering to himself, "D*mn it! John is a f*cking scumbag! He'd immediately approach a beautiful woman whenever he sees one!"

…

"Karan!"

Upon entering the forest, Quinna recognized her younger brother at a glance, confirming her fears. She could not help but tighten her grip on John's hand and bit her dry lips so hard that they were about to break. Tears of sorrow slowly flowed down from her eyes.

Quinna was not stupid. With everything that had happened today, she immediately guessed the truth. Her heart was instantly filled with sorrow. Her family had completely abandoned her. Not only that, they actually wanted to use such a despicable method to kill her and take all the fruits of her hard work for themselves. Finally, Quinna let out a long sigh. She raised her hand to wipe off the tears on her face as she made a decision.

"From now on, I, Quinna, am no longer a member of the Magilla clan. Magilla Chamber of Commerce in the western region will be officially renamed as Quinna Chamber of Commerce!"

After making this decision, Quinna felt relieved, and a smile appeared on her face once again. She loosened her grip on John's palm before turning around and bowing toward him once again.

"Sir Knight, thank you so much for your help tonight! Thank you for saving me and my chamber of commerce. From now on, you will always be my friend. As long as you reach a place where the Quinna Chamber of Commerce is present, feel free to make any request. The Quinna Chamber of Commerce will do its best to satisfy you."

John silently sized up the beautiful woman in front of him. Then, he chuckled, scratched his head, and said,

"Hahaha, that's great. It's my honor to have a beautiful woman like you as a friend."

...

When the matter ended, the bandits and their leader were tied up, ready to be handed over to the patrol team of Bluestone City in exchange for a bounty. All of the bounties would go to John. Quinna would not take a single bit of it.

After Quinna returned from the forest, she did not tell anyone about the incident and only treated this bandit attack as an ordinary attack. Of course, this was only on the surface. She still needed some time to prepare for the Chamber of Commerce to completely break away from the Magilla Chamber of Commerce and form the Quinna Chamber of Commerce independently.

Before that, Quinna still had to appease and reward her subordinates who had protected her tonight.

"You all did well and performed heroically tonight. You also know that I am not a stingy person. Therefore, those who survive will be rewarded with five Wind Wolf gold coins each. As for those who died, I shall give ten gold coins to their families."

"Okay!"

"Thank you, Boss!"

"Long live Quinna!"

The people in the convoy cheered and jumped in joy. Their loyalty towards Quinna increased tenfold.

John, who had witnessed all this, turned to Parr and said in a respectful tone, "Not only is Quinna beautiful, but she's also a brilliant woman who knows how to win people's hearts. No wonder her men didn't abandon her earlier!"

Parr rolled his eyes, and then, with an innocent expression on his face, he asked John, "So Uncle John also wants to treat Quinna like how he treated Dani?"

"Cough!"

John choked on his breath and coughed. Then, he extended his hand and rubbed Parr's head.

"What do you know about this, boy? It's our duty as men to appreciate women!"