Chapter 185: The Cage in the Middle of the Party

“So in that case, the Soros Chamber of Commerce was very willing to wait another month, Your Majesty. Of course, you could have the opportunity you desired,” the supervisor in the black robe thought almost no time at all and quickly gave in.

Measuring all actions by gains and losses was the mark of a successful businessman.

The Soros Chamber of Commerce was a business group. The nature of merchants was to chase profit. Fighting and killing were things they only did when forced; such actions were not their liking at all. Redknapp’s original plan was to report this to the Commerce headquarters and ask them to send powerful experts to crush one of the three great mercenary corps of the Zenit Empire, to protect the fame and pride of the Soros Chamber of Commerce. But now, since the King of Champoo was so firm about his revenge, it didn’t hurt to be generous this once. If the King of Champoo succeeded, the Soros Chamber of Commerce could avoid some trouble. If he failed, the little Bloodblade Mercenary Corps—the Soros Chamber of Commerce could destroy it instantly anytime they chose to get serious.

Of course, all this was aside.

For Redknapp, the most important thing was that he might use the Bloodblade Mercenary Corps as a hard whetstone to observe more of what he wanted to know. He wanted to see if the mysterious King of Champoo, who already had a hint of legend in the merchant reports, truly had endless potential. Was he worth the huge Soros Chamber of Commerce restarting that plan and making an investment?

After that, the mood was friendly.

The two sides didn’t talk about anything important any longer. They only exchanged simple small talk. From start to finish, the charming woman in red named Sherry just looked Sun Fei up and down a few times. She didn’t open her mouth to say a single word. She had a cool and distant feel, like she was holding others away. But it wasn’t cold; it was more like she closed herself off.

“Alexander, I had the guards prepare hot water…” A gentle voice as sweet as a yellow bird flying from a valley suddenly came in from outside. Angela lifted the tent flap and walked in. “The Crown Princess said that after a long journey, a hot bath is the best way to relax…” The girl entered and finished speaking before she saw that there were guests in the big tent. She was surprised and covered her red lips with her white, jade-like fingers, like carved jade. But soon, she showed the bearing of a Future Queen Consort. She smiled graciously at Redknapp and the other person, then walked over gracefully and stood by Sun Fei’s side.

For a moment, Redknapp and the pretty woman in red only felt the light in the room brighten.

This suddenly appearing girl shone brightly like a glow you couldn’t bear to look straight at. Even the light in the royal tent grew instantly dim, as if it all focused on her in that second.

Redknapp and the woman in red, Sherry, held high ranks in the Soros Chamber of Commerce. They traveled far and wide and saw many unusual things, far beyond ordinary people. But a girl as pure and lovely as this was really rare. Seeing Angela in her white gown, floating like she was above the world, standing next to Sun Fei, who sat leaning on his sword with traces of blood still on his armor—they didn’t think it looked odd at all. Instead, it felt very fitting. They both let out a silent praise in their hearts: a hero and his beauty, what a handsome pair like gold and jade!

Angela’s appearance made Redknapp realize that the two of them shouldn’t stay any longer. He immediately stood up, smiling, and said goodbye. Before leaving, he hesitated and asked, “Your Majesty the King of Champoo, I’ve heard that the Crown Princess of the Empire is also in the army. I met Your Highness a few times in the Imperial Capital. I wanted to see an old friend. Could you grant this?”

Sun Fei grinned a little. He knew this Soros Chamber of Commerce supervisor wasn’t really asking for his permission, but just politely greeting him as the half ‘host’ in name, since the Princess was in the Champoo camp. But this attitude felt pleasant. He laughed and said, “Of course, Supervisor Harry, go ahead!”

After the two went out, Angela cheerfully called guards to carry in big tubs of hot water. Like a little wife, she served Sun Fei in taking off his armor and washing away the blood and dust on his body. Over the past three or four years, Alexander hadn’t been clear in mind. He acted like a child with low smarts. Angela and Gemma always took care of his daily life, and bathing together wasn’t new. So at this moment, it felt very natural.

“That mysterious Crown Princess has been staying inside the carriage without showing up these last few days. You meet her every day—come here and tell me, what has she been doing?” After finishing the hot bath, he felt very comfy all over. Sun Fei took a white towel and wiped the water off his face, asking curiously.

“She hasn’t been doing much,” Angela blinked her big eyes. On her white, delicate face was a trace of sympathy. “I think Her Highness Tanasha is quite pitiful. She suffers from a strange illness long-term. Her body has always been weak. Especially now in the cold late autumn, she can’t bear the wind at all, or her condition worsens. So she can only sit in the Magic Carriage. If it were me, I’d feel trapped like it was smothering me. So Gemma and I often go chat with her. I think she’s actually very kind…”

Listening to Angela’s words, Sun Fei recalled the scene when he met the Crown Princess for the first time. For the very first time, he realized that, for some reason, those deep blue eyes like the sea and that thin body were so clear in his memory. About the illness—during the first meeting, Sun Fei did notice that this famously powerful Crown Princess seemed to have some strange sickness. Her body was very weak. So on a whim, he threw a small bottle of Rejuvenation Potion to her. But he didn’t know if the Princess used the potion after all. Or did she throw it in a garbage pile somewhere?

“Oh, right, Alexander, Her Highness Tanasha mentioned the purple potion you once gave her. It seemed to work well, but it looks like it’s all used up. Do you have any more? Could you…” Angela blinked her big eyes again and again. Her gaze had a thread of pleading as she looked at Sun Fei. Though she didn’t finish the words, the meaning was clear.

It seemed the Crown Princess’s skill in winning people over was truly excellent. At least now, Sun Fei could clearly see that Angela already saw the lofty Imperial Female Literary Sage as close as a best friend like Gemma. Usually, Angela rarely asked Sun Fei for anything. Who would have expected that her very first request was for the Crown Princess?

Sun Fei pulled out a small bottle of Rejuvenation Potion without hesitation and gave it to Angela.

Truth is, it wasn’t only a small bottle of potion. For Sun Fei, whatever kind of request this kind, pure girl made, he would go all out to make it real for her. This gentle and good-hearted girl was the softest part of Sun Fei’s heart. Facing the charging monsters in the Diablo World, or the rising blood and endless killing in the real world when fighting enemies—every time Sun Fei pictured the girl’s face in his mind, his heart settled quickly into a peaceful calm.

This fairy-like girl must have been the most precious gift given to him by the gods!

Sun Fei had thought so more than once.

Watching Angela skip happily off to give the potion to the Princess, Sun Fei unknowingly showed a silly, loving smile. Perhaps the Crown Princess purposely spoke about the purple potion in front of Angela because she couldn’t lower her status as Imperial Princess to beg him herself. So she used Angela to get the potion. Sun Fei didn’t even need to think to know all this. But the only thing that surprised him a little was that the Princess actually had used the potion he gave her before. Hadn’t she thrown it away in anger, into some dump pile, after he rushed that day and took all the food from the table?

Plus, his actions these days were already a bit too boastful and wild, right? He had stormed the Blackrock Fortress without empire permission. He also wrecked many Blackrock Kingdom mines. This was against the rules. The Crown Princess had been following them all along and saw everything. Yet from beginning to end, she hadn’t spoken a word. What brewing plan was in that scary head of hers?

Sun Fei had thought about this all along.

Crown Princess Tanasha of the Empire, the Female Literary Sage who planned far ahead, the nightmare of single male Nobles in the Imperial Capital, a woman even Emperor Yassin had to take seriously—she really was a frightening person.

But now, Sun Fei seemed to hold a little capital quietly in his hand that none might know.

…

The next day, the morning fog was gentle. The weather was surprisingly fine and sunny after a night of killing.

Beasts roared, birds sang. A new day started in the Scorching Sun Mountains. After thin smoke from cooking fires rose, and breakfast was eaten, the lakeside became lively. Though Sun Fei and Redknapp hadn’t made any spoken deal, the Sorros Merchant Caravan and the Shampoo Expeditionary Force set off together like they were in agreement.

In the middle of the party, four big horses pulled a steel cage.

Inside the cage, one of the six top fighters of the Bloodblade Mercenary Corps, the One-Eyed Rampant Python, was beaten till his nose was badly swollen and face puffy. His Battle Qi was gone. Like a mangy dog, he lay flat inside, not moving a bit. But for the thick, hateful glare fixing on the grand figure at the head of the party—the one riding a big black dog and hugging a girl as pretty as a goddess—anyone would have thought the prisoner cart held a pile of near-moldy rotten meat.

Prison Warden Oleg’s questioning ways were super harsh and bloody. But the info he got was pitifully little.

A few Bloodblade Mercenaries who threw down their weapons and gave up did spill what they knew like beans from a basket under that fat man’s threats. But they were the very lowest types and what they knew fell short.

The bald giant, the honest-looking middle-aged hidden-weapon master, and the female fairy with dark elf blood—being some of the big heads—knew more of course. But perhaps because they thought they couldn’t escape death in Sun Fei’s hands, these men who were used to taking huge risks actually showed shockingly strong will against agony. All the way till in the end, when Old Zola and Modric drew sharp swords and cut off the heads of the hidden-weapon master and the old fairy—who could no longer handle the torture—to avenge the Champoo miners killed by them, Prison Warden Oleg didn’t get any more detailed records about the Bloodblade Mercenary Corps.