2 Cheated

Miller didn't expect this Easterner to be so astute. He originally wanted to haggle, but Wang Lun didn't let up. The former finally nodded in agreement to his terms.

Wang Lun had no idea that Miller would agree so easily.

1000 gold coins a year wasn't a small amount, after all.

This left Wang Lun feeling a little strange. However, since he had already made a promise to the other party, he couldn't go back on it.

Soon after, Miller signed a transfer document and also gave Wang Lun a medal symbolizing his Baron status.

Wang Lun took the items, bade farewell, and left the castle.

After Wang Lun's departure, Miller's family came forward and complained about why he didn't reward gold coins, but instead offered a city and accepted no tribute.

Miller, however, wasn't annoyed at all. He scanned the crowd with his cloudy eyes, clarifying, "The reason is simple. Because it was Yale City that I gave him."

"Huh, Yale City?"

After hearing his answer, the crowd became relieved.

"Haha! Lord Miller is so wise. Yale City is already abandoned; what's left of its resources have already been exploited. It's also located on the border, and for years, conquests have been going on. The whole city has become a gathering place for refugees."

"Giving away something of such little value doesn't matter at all."

Miller squinted and stroked his long beard with pride.

"Whether that Easterner can manage Yale City or not, it's good for us. If he fails, we can take the city back and sell it to another idiot. If he ever develops the city, we'll take it back by force. Gee, I'm kind of looking forward to what he'll do with it."

***

Wang Lun stood at the entrance of the city, clutching in his hands items that could prove his identity as the city lord. His heart pounded in anticipation.

Shortly after, he took a quick glance ahead and jumped directly into a carriage that was parked not far away.

The driver of the carriage was a middle-aged, bearded man with a deep and hideous scar on his face.

"Mr. Wang Lun, all settled?" the driver smiled cheerfully and asked.

Wang Lun gave a plain smile, nodded, and replied, "Lord Miller's son is fine now. He will recover completely after some rest."

The driver stared blankly. His face was filled with bewilderment.

This Easterner before him always brought a lot of surprises.

Hallmark was the driver's name. He used to be a knight, but half a month ago, enemies chased after him with the intent to kill, and he was rescued by Wang Lun.

Wang Lun merely used a bottle of white powder and applied it to his blade wounds. In just three days, his wounds had been healed.

Just when he thought that Wang Lun's true identity was a sorcerer, he later witnessed the latter frequently trade with people using mysterious and seemingly valuable items that he had never seen before.

He thought Wang Lun was a merchant who specialized in high-end goods.

Until one day, they were attacked by a dozen bandits and caught in a desperate situation. The almighty Wang Lun retrieved an unknown weapon and repelled the enemies.

According to Wang Lun, the weapon was a shotgun, and it was later given to Hallmark for safekeeping.

After witnessing too many miracles, Hallmark decided to follow this Easterner with all his heart and was willing to give up his dignity as a knight to work as a personal driver.

"Mr. Wang Lun, where do we go next?" Hallmark raised his whip and respectfully waited for instructions.

"Yale City!" Wang Lun replied.

All of a sudden, Hallmark turned pale and stared at Wang Lun as if he had just seen a ghost. "My God, that place has been plagued by war for years and is chaotic and run-down. Why do you still want to go there, Mr. Wang Lun?"

The smile on Wang Lun's face froze, and his heart skipped a beat. He immediately urged, "What exactly happened, tell me."

Hallmark pondered for a moment, then spoke up. "In the beginning, Yale City was rich and full of resources. But after all the resources were used up, with the effects of the war, it was abandoned and became a city for refugees."

"Are you sure?" Wang Lun asked with a frown.

"I'm very sure. Yale City is on the border of several kingdoms, and I fought there the year before."

Hallmark's words made Wang Lun finally realize why Miller had so readily agreed to his request not to pay tribute.

So this was all meant to take advantage of him!

"That cunning jerk," Wang Lun cursed.

But now, it was too late for regret. Since that sly old fox dared to make such a move, surely he wasn't afraid even if Wang Lun were to find his way back.

When Hallmark witnessed Wang Lun's exasperated face, he couldn't help but ask, "Mr. Wang Lun, can you tell me what happened?"

Wang Lun told him the truth about Miller offering him Yale City to offset the reward of 100 gold coins.

"Argh! These nobles are awful!"

Hallmark also couldn't help but feel injustice for Wang Lun.

He immediately realized that he had said the wrong thing and hastily apologized, "Oh! My lord, I wasn't referring to you!"

"I know. Anyways, let's head over there and check out the situation first!" Wang Lun reluctantly commanded.

Hallmark hesitated for a moment and didn't say anything more. He drove the carriage straight toward Yale City.

A day later, the two arrived at their destination.

Gazing at the city gate that had been burned down, Wang Lun helplessly shook his head. Since he had already arrived at the city, all he could do was to summon his courage.

Upon entering the city, looking as far as the eyes could see, there were starving people in tattered clothes everywhere. They looked malnourished and sickly in appearance.

When they saw Wang Lun coming in with a carriage, they got up and stared at the horses with eyes that resembled those of hungry wolves.

In the next second, a man frantically pounced over, pulling the reins of the carriage and grabbing the horse.

The rest also swarmed forward like a tidal wave.

Wang Lun was bewildered.

He had no idea that the people here were starving to this extent!

Without any hesitation, Hallmark stepped in front of Wang Lun, retrieved his double-barreled shotgun and pulled the trigger.

In the blink of an eye, the three leading men fell into a pool of blood.

When the others witnessed the lives lost, they came to a halt right away and vigilantly stared at Wang Lun and Hallmark.

Wang Lun didn't want to hurt anyone, but at such a moment, one had to be killed to serve as a warning to the others. Or else, even Hallmark and he might be eaten by them.

Because at that moment, he also saw many people staring at the three corpses on the ground with a green glint in their eyes, apparently treating them as food.

After letting out a sigh, Wang Lun stood on the carriage and loudly announced: "Greetings, I am the new lord of Yale City. I know you are famished, but I promise you that I will manage the development of Yale City well and no longer let you starve!"

Wang Lun initially thought that those people would, at the very least, cheer or give a response. However, they didn't react at all as they continued staring blankly at him.