Chapter 244

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Chapter 244: This Witch Is So Arrogant

One person needs twenty-five thousand gold coins, so in total, it’s fifty thousand gold coins.

Don’t say just salt can be traded in this town with lower average living standards, even in some business clubs in the Gualarrap Kingdom, there are not many people who can come up with so much cash.

But, surprisingly, this gang can actually be proud of their amount.

In addition to the few boxes in the witch’s space ring, there are also boxes of gold coins being pulled out, with ten full boxes piled up, not replaced by other jewels, all shining gold coins.

The witch’s eyes were shining brightly, looking at the gold coins in the boxes, almost drooling.

In terms of greed, she really showed no pretense or disguise at all.

"Can you really make so much money in this business?"

She marveled, effortlessly stuffing all the gold coins into her own ring, happily caressing the shiny red space ring.

Boss Xie’s face turned red as a liver, with a mournful face, "These… these earnings are meant for business activities. After giving them to you, our brothers will have to tighten our belts for a while."

Boss Pi was even more heartbroken, almost crying out in pain, as if someone was cutting his flesh with a knife on his chest.

"Money is a jerk, earn more if it runs out."

The witch didn’t care at all, not feeling guilty at all for her shameless robberies.

Rin realized that the so-called tough robber cat by his side…wasn’t really much of a robber at all.

The witch shamelessly said, "Just give it up now, and nothing bad will happen. You guys really don’t understand manners at all. Back in the days when the old City Lord of Bicester City was around, there was no need for me to come asking, you would obediently pay every year."

She added angrily, "You guys haven’t paid tribute in five years, how dare you take advantage of me being busy and not coming to ask?"

Boss Xie suddenly widened his eyes, took a step back in shock and said, "You…you are the great witch?!"

Boss Pi also slapped his head and said, "I thought it was just a legend, didn’t expect it to be true. We were blind to not recognize the value. When the old Viscount was going crazy before he died, no one took his words seriously. Please forgive us, great witch."

The people below instantly became awed at the mention of the witch, any previous dissatisfaction completely vanished.

"Tsk, you don’t need to use your pig brains to think about it. Without me, those things from the Black Sea would have overrun you long ago. When the kingdom’s navy arrives, Bicester City will be left with nothing."

The witch smacked her lips and said, "Consider this extra payment as interest. Remember to bring offerings every year from now on."

"But, we don’t even know where you live?"

With her arms crossed, the witch had a very arrogant attitude. Although her lips moved slightly, others couldn’t hear what she was saying. Only Boss Xie and Boss Pi looked suddenly enlightened.

The two who were previously full of anger and hatred now became obedient and respectful.

It was clear how powerful the witch was. Even Xingzhi Witch, who was not well-known outside, had a great reputation in this area.

Perhaps being locals, they were very familiar with the rumors about the witch. They had doubts before, but now they had confirmation.

No one dared to test if she was telling the truth, they just hoped not to provoke the witch and receive her protection.

The above were Rin’s deductions as a bystander.

Still… was this guy really that busy? He hasn’t come to collect protection fees in five years?

Because, did she mention anything about the Black Sea area?

By boldly asking for money like this, Xingzhi Witch’s reputation was buzzing for a while.

Rin thought about his task.

Since she was just here for the regular collection, not for actual robbery… Even though her methods were bad, she couldn’t be considered a really wicked person, right?

However, I can’t shake the feeling that this person is actually worse than they appear.

Clearly, at the beginning, using this momentum and magic power, it would have been better to explain directly, and judging by the crowd’s attitude, they would have complied.

Yet she chose to steal first and then rob – can a normal person do such things?

"Madam Witch, why not stay for a meal? I will ensure everything is prepared to the best of my abilities."

"No, I can’t stay any longer. I’ve already wasted enough time. Gotta go, gotta go."

When Boss Pi saw her about to leave, he quickly said, "Miss Witch, could you please give me my family’s secret recipe…"

"Oh, I almost forgot."

Witch searched through her ring and finally found two boxes.

These two boxes, one with gold inlay and the other with gems, looked very valuable at first glance.

She stared at the boxes for two seconds, calmly took out the paper inside, casually tossed it to the two people, and then put the boxes back into the ring.

Looking at her expression, she even didn’t let go of the two boxes, as if she had already claimed them as her own.

"I don’t even know what’s so precious about a hamburger recipe, I thought it was something good and almost came here in vain. Plus, the two recipes are exactly the same."

Boss Xie trembled and glared angrily at Boss Pi, "Alright! How did your Pi family start? Turns out you stole our family’s recipe!"

Boss Pi was also furious, "Alright, your Xie family is really up to no good, stealing our family’s recipe and even turning the tables."

"You’re talking nonsense!"

The two of them immediately rolled up their sleeves, their faces turning red as they started arguing loudly, looking like they were about to start fighting.

The witch, looking impatient and fierce, shouted angrily, "What are you arguing about, annoying! Do I have to shut your mouths and sew them up with a bladder full of urine!?"

With just a few words, their arrogance faded, shrinking their necks like quails.

Boss Xie hesitated for a moment, feeling wronged as he said, "Dear witch, since you are here, as the guardian of Bicester City, you must be the most fair. Please give us your judgment."

Flattering was indeed effective, and luckily the witch herself was a bit curious, nodding in agreement.

The two bosses started to complain to each other, pouring out their grievances.

They were able to rise in Bicester City not only because of their own abilities, but also because of money.

Of course, it’s not wrong to say that they rely entirely on money, as in their generation, they were more talented than the previous one, mainly because their fathers were wealthy and married wives of higher status.

The likelihood of inheriting talents like this is quite high, so their status will naturally be higher than ordinary people.

This point is the most obvious example in the noble class.

And this capital comes from their grandfather’s restaurant.

At first, the two of them were partners, but later they wanted to work individually. To avoid competing for resources, they started their own businesses in different cities.

The restaurant is most famous for their crab roe burger, which received great praise as soon as it was introduced, attracting a constant flow of customers.

According to the two of them, their grandfather’s generation held grudges against each other for their businesses, but since their own restaurants were very busy and in different locations, they didn’t have time to investigate.

In the next generation, both sides participated in a provincial food competition. They both came back angry, refusing to explain what happened, only saying that the other party was shameless, leading to one being disqualified from the competition.

In their generation, they had no interest in running a restaurant and instead focused on forming alliances. They treated the secret recipe as a family heirloom to be preserved.

After all, in case one day they can’t continue their business, they can rely on the secret recipe to make a comeback.

Today, the truth was finally revealed that someone had stolen their family’s secret recipe.

After listening, the witch stayed still for a few seconds, then suddenly became very angry, kicking both of them to the ground and stomping on them with her high heels.

"What a joke, is this all there is to it!? Does she think I have all the time in the world?"

Still angry, the witch stomped a few more times, then threw two fireballs, burning the secret recipe to ash.

"I declare, from now on this secret recipe is mine. Anyone who dares to use it will be considered a thief, and will be burnt to a crisp. Get ready for roasted mushrooms and crabs."

Declaring her dominance without allowing any objections, the arrogant witch sneered twice, took a step back, and a bright yellow flame shot up from the ground, engulfing her.

In just a few seconds, the flame seemed to dissipate in the wind, along with the witch, leaving no trace behind.

"That’s it… she’s gone."

The two bosses, beaten up, stood up and almost fell back down.

Even though… was severely bullied, not only did they lose money, but their ancestral secret recipe was also taken away.

But why do I feel so relaxed?

It couldn’t possibly be because a long-standing case ended in such a light-hearted manner, right?

Beside him, a timid follower asked, "Boss, since it’s Lady Witch who has arrived and not some thief, should the harbor still be closed?"

Boss Xie and Boss Pi shuddered and glanced at the onlookers who couldn’t see the inside and didn’t know the truth.

Thinking about his embarrassing appearance, he covered his face.

"Just mention Lady Witch’s visit, don’t let me hear any other word spreading outside, or there will be consequences!"

"The shipping business will resume tomorrow. We will announce that the thief has been caught. If anyone dares to involve Lady Witch, there will be consequences."

With a few orders given, people gradually dispersed, as if nothing had ever happened here.

Betty went to an empty alley and set Rin and Waste Hero down.

Rin adjusted his clothes and said with a headache, "I didn’t expect her to leave so soon. If I had known, I would have stopped her earlier. Now I have to find her address."

Betty didn’t listen to him but frowned and muttered to herself, "Strange, I didn’t feel any spatial fluctuations. How did that aunt who looked greedy and wicked disappear?"

"Forget it, the excitement is over. At least we have a clue now. Let’s go buy some things first."

Rin stroked his chin, patted Waste Hero’s head, and swaggered towards the market with his arm around him.

Bicester City doesn’t have a business district, but it has a bustling market where anyone can set up a stall by paying a fee.

The visiting merchants are attracted by the low costs and high foot traffic, so they prefer to rent a larger stall here instead of a shop.

The market is packed with stalls of all sizes, at least a few hundred in total, all closely packed together.

Growing up in a modern and affluent society, Rin had only seen such a large market with stalls on TV travel shows from other countries, so it was really new to him.

The vendors organized their stalls by category, so it just looks messy.

On the far left was the seafood market. Rin and Waste Hero weren’t interested, but Betty seemed eager and tugged on Rin’s sleeve, pointing in that direction.

"So many fish, Rin, let’s buy some to try. Your cooking skills are so good, we can’t waste this opportunity."

"…You think I’m your cook, huh? Go on, have fun by yourself. Not interested."

Seeing that he wasn’t budging, Betty extended her arm and presented Rin with a small, pale paw.

"What do you mean?"

"To buy things, you need money, right? Rin."

"You’re… asking me for money?"

After staring at each other for a while, Rin impatiently placed a coin in her hand.

"Take the money and get lost. Don’t spend it recklessly, there won’t be a next time, got it?"

"Hehe, I knew it."

Betty gave a shy smile, tightly holding the coins in her hands. She happily bid farewell to the two of them like a little lady, then she was gone.

"Hiss… Isn’t one coin a bit too much?"

Rin felt a bit upset, watching Betty’s back. It was like watching a mischievous child rummaging through snacks during the New Year at home.

"I don’t know if I owe you guys anything, all of you treat me like an ATM, relying on me for everything. Bah! One day I will cut off your supply, let one starve and call it a day."

Miss Hero suddenly grabbed Rin’s sleeve and made a soft "meow" sound, her lifeless blue eyes staring at him without blinking.

Rin saw helplessness and coquettishness in Miss Hero’s blank face, and his heart softened.

He reached out and stroked Waste Hero’s head.

"Behave, since I’ve decided to keep you, Waste Hero, I will take care of you and make sure you’re not hungry."

The cat Hero happily rubbed Rin’s palm and then noticed a stall nearby, pulling Rin towards it.

"What’s up? Anything you want to buy?"

"Crafts."

Waste Hero, straightforwardly, arrived at a stall and gazed at various fishbone crafts displayed there.

Rin was about to ask why she suddenly became interested in crafts when he saw Waste Hero holding a strange crab shell with a human face on it and he suddenly understood.

Wow, she’s picking a gift for Yuki.

This unsentimental hero is even learning to give gifts now!?

Who knows… maybe, under my influence, she’s making some progress.

However, I cannot accept being inferior when it comes to choosing a gift for the poor Sword Saint!

So Rin rolled up his sleeves, enthusiastically started selecting gifts, thinking he also needed to bring some local specialties for the silly elk and the black fox.

Waste Hero put down the crab shell, picked up a fish bone with three high tails and full of spikes, and stared at its empty eye sockets.

"Brother, look, isn’t that the brave… your daughter."

The middle-aged man, with a serious expression, glanced at the couple huddling together and clenched his fist.

"Come closer and take a look."

As soon as they approached, they saw Emilia holding a talisman with a blessing inscription, touching it fondly.

The vendor hurriedly said, "Customer, this is prepared for newborn babies, made from the lucky silk of our Xingzhi region. If a child wears this, they will be safe, happy, and healthy."

"Do you have, specifically for, girls, need two of them."

The young man next to him nudged the middle-aged man with his arm.

"Big brother, not only do you have a son-in-law, but you’ve also become a grandfather."