Ryan pretended to be a hunter who had just returned from peeing and easily blended into this ragtag hunting team.
After a little inquiry, I found out that he had guessed it right.
The leader of this team was the eldest son of the current head of the Rosas family, Harper Rosas, who was also the cousin of the green-haired young man who led the encirclement and suppression of Ryan and his men the night before.
However, that guy's title now is "Prince".
When Glory City was founded, a large number of new nobles emerged, and it seemed that everyone could become a prince. Ryan did not feel noble at all, and the only thing that came to his mind was three words - nouveau riche.
After listening for a while, he figured out that this team was indeed heading to the area with dense pyramids.
I heard from the hunters of these small hunting groups that the Rosas family had discovered a very large underground palace there and they were in urgent need of manpower to explore it.
They were recruited to participate in the excavation, with a basic salary of 3,000 lizo per day. Moreover, all the gains from the excavation in the ruins belonged to them.
The only requirement is that the treasures they find in the ruins must be sold to the Rosas family first.
This sounds like pie in the sky.
Ryan thought there might be something fishy going on.
Because he just came from there yesterday, the ruins there were blocked off, and no other wasteland hunters except those loyal to the Lord's Mansion were allowed to participate in the excavation.
Now we have more than 10,000 people here, and I always feel like something is wrong.
…
The team moved forward towards the northwest at a leisurely pace. The team, which was a temporary group, was crowded with people and had a lot of talk, and it was as messy as a vegetable market.
Guy was locked in an iron cage, his body covered with bloody wounds, as if he had been tortured.
He sat in the prison van with his head drooped, his messy hair covering his entire face. He didn't look dead, but his situation was not optimistic.
The prison car was in the front of the royal knight team. Ryan did not rush forward, but observed it from a distance.
After all, he had heard that in the team of "Prince Harper", there was a fourth-level red-robed archmage's court attendant. Although it was hard to say whether he could beat that kind of guy, if he was determined to leave, the other side would definitely not be able to stop him.
Ryan planned to find someone to find out what was going on, so he wandered around the team.
He also didn't expect that by chance he would run into an old friend from the "Mountain Antelope Hunting Group".
This was the small hunting group that he and Canossa hired as guides when they went to the City of Light.
It is still called the "Mountain Antelope Regiment", but most of the original members are no longer seen, with only two familiar faces: Captain Bart and Sister Pasha.
The rest looked unfamiliar.
Ryan had a good impression of them, so he moved closer.
He greeted directly: "Hey~ Captain Bart, long time no see!"
Bart naturally couldn't recognize Ryan's disguised face, not to mention he was wearing a gas mask: "You are..."
Ryan said casually: "A few years ago, when I went to Glory City, the Chamber of Commerce that hired me asked you to be a guide. We even had a drink together. However, it has been too long, and you may have forgotten. I am Nicholas..."
"oh?"
Bart obviously had no impression of the name, and there was a flash of an expression in his eyes as if he was trying hard to recall it.
However, this veteran hunter has traveled far and wide, and naturally has no problem dealing with any situation. He pretended to remember and said with a smile: "Brother Nicholas...long time no see."
Ryan didn't care and asked, "Huh...why do I only see you and Miss Pasha? Where are Jack, Klein, and Galen?"
“…”
When Bart heard this, his face turned slightly different.
Since he could name these old members, he naturally believed that the person in front of him was an old friend who really had some connections with them, and he immediately let down his guard.
He shrugged his shoulders, revealing a sad, yet accustomed, bitter expression, and said, "They are all dead. They died in a hunting expedition half a year ago. Now, I have brought a few new people and re-formed a hunting team..."
As he spoke, he lifted up his leather armor, revealing a large scar on his abdomen: "Look, I almost died that time. Fortunately, I had Pasha..."
Hearing this, Ryan was not surprised, but he also felt a little emotional: "Oh, sorry."
Ninety percent of the hunting groups’ members are reduced in number because of this reason. Very few of them can earn enough money to go home and retire.
Bart shook his head, not minding the mention of his scar.
For wasteland hunters, life and death have long been indifferent.
He skipped the topic and grinned, "Brother Nicholas, where have you made your fortune recently?"
Ryan casually told a fabricated story, "My group encountered sandworms two days ago and fought a big battle. Then we encountered a sandstorm and everyone was separated. Because I am a doctor and brought some antidotes, I was lucky enough not to die..."
Because they were old acquaintances, Ryan's words did not arouse suspicion and no one cared.
There were quite a few scattered hunting groups joining along the way, and one more wouldn't make a difference.
"oh……"
When Bart heard that Ryan was a doctor, he also became interested in recruiting him.
As a leader, he suggested, "Brother Nicholas, you are alone now. Why don't you stay with our 'Mountain Antelope Group' for a while? When we enter the ruins, we can look after each other."
Doctors will never have trouble finding a team wherever they are.
"OK."
When Ryan heard this, he naturally agreed happily.
He originally wanted to create an identity that would not arouse suspicion, and this was just right.
…
After the two of them got to know each other, Ryan asked his own questions, "Hey, Captain Bart, don't you think there's something wrong with this excavation mission? How could such a good thing be given to a small group like us?"
Bart smiled and shook his head, "What's the problem? It's nothing more than danger. Those nobles don't dare to risk their lives to explore, so they let us go and take risks..."
Apparently, the scavengers were used to this sort of thing.
When it was still called Glory City, everyone was a wasteland hunter. When they encountered a ruin, no one was distinguished by status, and everyone went there on their own. But the "Five Great Families" have begun to show signs of this privilege.
Now in the kingdom of the city, all this is just out in the open.
All those noble lords had to do was to raise a flag and declare occupation, and the ruins would belong to them.
Then they can find some people to explore with them, so they don’t have to take risks on their own, and the treasure will still be theirs.
Although some of the wealth would be paid as commission and revenge to the wasteland hunters, the vast majority of the wealth would be turned into various taxes on food, clothing, housing, and transportation, and would return to the hands of the nobles.
[Black Tide] gave those nobles the best convenience for exploitation.
The scavengers are not stupid, they all naturally see that this recruitment operation must be very dangerous.
At this point, Bart was very calm and added: "For those nobles to make such a big fuss, the scale of the ruins must be quite large. After all, these 10,000 people who do nothing consume tens of millions of liso in commissions every day."
At this time, a member of the Mountain Antelope Group also interrupted and said, "Hey, the lives of us wasteland hunters are cheap anyway, so it's a risk to go anywhere. For a prince from the Rosas family to come here in person, there must be high-quality relics. The risks are definitely not small, but as long as we can survive, we will definitely gain a lot..."
Looking again, all the wasteland hunters had expressions full of nonchalant optimism and the expectation of "getting rich quickly".
For the lower-level scavengers, many people are willing to risk their lives to get rich overnight.
“…”
After hearing this, Ryan didn't say anything more.
For example, the "Divine Power Crystal" is a very high-end treasure that low-level extraordinary people have never even heard of, and they can't use it at all. Anyway, they have to sell it for a good price, so it doesn't matter who they sell it to.
…
As the conversation went on, Ryan turned the topic back to Guy.
He asked curiously, "Captain Bart, who is in the iron cage in front? Why did you bring such a person with you to hunt?"
"You don't know yet?"
Bart said, with a hint of emotion in his eyes: "That was a big shot... a big shot in the past of the Sid Empire."
Ryan looked interested: "Oh?"
Bart said, "That's Sid SSS wanted criminal, Guy Villiers."
After he said this, several other members of the "Mountain Antelope Group" also joined in the discussion with great interest.
"That was a big shot more than 20 years ago..."
"I have seen that guy before when I was leading the gambling den in Heifeng. If I had known that the 'gambler guy' who couldn't even stand steadily was the Sword of Justice guy, I would have never let anyone else earn the bounty. Oh... I missed out on 2 billion!"
"That's right. I heard that when he was caught, this guy couldn't even lift the knife, and he didn't resist at all. Is there any SSS wanted criminal that is easier to catch than this? It's like free money."
"But... I don't think this guy from Guy, other than his gambling addiction, looks like a bad person..."
"That's because the villain has grown old! Haven't you heard that he once slaughtered tens of thousands of people in an entire city? At that time, I heard that he didn't even spare babies, and the blood flowed like a river... Looking back hundreds of years, I'm afraid there won't be such a cruel and crazy killer."
“…”
People's perception of Guy is either that "addicted gambler" or that legendary wanted criminal.
But only Ryan heard the story told by Guy himself, about the massacre caused by a magic sword.
However, he didn't say much.
On second thought, it was expected that this guy would be recognized and captured in exchange for a bounty.
But now that Guy looks like this, is there anyone who can recognize him?
In a blink of an eye, Ryan looked at Guy, who was covered in wounds, and asked in confusion, "But... since he is a wanted criminal, it would be fine to just kill him and exchange his head for the bounty. Why did you lock him up and torture him?"
Hearing this, a strange look flashed across Bart's eyes, and he whispered, "This... has something to do with the person who arrested him."
Ryan looked serious as if he was waiting for the next words: "Oh?"
Bart lowered his voice and said, "The person who recognized Guy was none other than Prince Harper's fiancée, Viscount Yuk's goddaughter, Moon Beauty Maritis!"
When Ryan heard this, he asked in confusion, "Huh?"
As soon as he heard the word "beautiful woman", he guessed in his heart, could it be a debt of love?
When he was young, he was known as the "most handsome man in the world" and he attracted many women. He also had many love-hate relationships and eventually got poisoned by a woman's belly.
However, it is obviously not a debt of love, but a blood feud.
Bart's tone was also somewhat disdainful, and he said: "That 'Viscount Yuke' is a well-known leader of the phantom thieves in Sid. He was made a viscount because he led tens of thousands of people to surrender when the Glorious Nation was first established. He suddenly became a noble lord..."
After a pause, he continued, "It's also because his stunningly beautiful goddaughter, Maritis, has been favored by Prince Harper, and now she's showing signs of becoming a popular noble in the Glorious Kingdom..."
Ryan finally understood after hearing this.
It turns out that this "Viscount Yuke" was one of the nine leaders of Theed's first phantom thief group, the "Nine-Headed Owl Phantom Thieves" more than 20 years ago.
Back then, this group of phantom thieves was a top-notch group even larger than Basel's "White Wolf Phantom Thieves".
This notorious group of phantom thieves committed rape, robbery and all kinds of evil. They had more than 100,000 phantom thieves under their command and were a scourge to the local people.
At that time, Guy the Sword of Justice was at the height of his fame and was the No. 1 bounty hunter in Sid, specializing in hunting down various top thieves.
Relying on his superb swordsmanship, he targeted the "Nine-Headed Owl Phantom Thieves" and specifically targeted the lone "Nine Owls".
Then in less than a year, he killed eight of the nine high-level transcendents.
He would continue to kill whoever was the leader.
In the end, they actually used the "beheading" method to break up the "Cid's First Phantom Thieves Group".
The "Viscount Yuke" is the only remaining leader, and that "Moon Beauty" Maritis is the daughter of a leader of the "Nine-Headed Phantom Thieves" who was killed.
Naturally there is a blood feud.
Ryan also understood.
Bart made no secret of his disdain for the fact that the thief had suddenly become a noble, but he could do nothing about it.
He slowly recounted some of his experiences, and then said: "Although this [Moon Beauty] Maritis is beautiful, she is not a good person. After all, she came from a den of phantom thieves. I heard that she is a vicious woman..."
This extraordinary world is very cruel. The more beautiful a woman is, if she has no abilities she will only be a plaything for men, especially in a place like the Phantom Thieves where human nature is evil.
Ryan asked curiously: "Does she have any extraordinary abilities?"
Bart frowned. "As for supernatural powers... I haven't heard of any record of her fighting with anyone. But it is rumored that she is a spiritual supernatural being who practices charm. Look, that 'Prince Harper' is so obsessed with her that they are even talking about marriage..."
“…”
Ryan listened, thoughtfully.
…
Ryan chatted with the members of the "Mountain Antelope Group" and figured out the general ins and outs of the matter.
The main force is moving at a slower speed and will probably not reach the ruins until tomorrow.
As night fell, the team began to make a fire and set up camp.
Except for a few small waves of zombie attacks, everything was normal.
While eating, Ryan suddenly heard a series of "bang bang" sounds like gunshots.
Listening carefully, it was the sound of a whip.
If you ask others, you will know that they are tired, like the entertainment program after dinner - "Guy's Whipping".
Only at this time every day would the noble knights stop the scavengers from coming to watch, just to humiliate the former number one bounty hunter.
Ryan also mixed in with the crowd and walked over.
A makeshift trial platform was set up in the camp, and Guy was chained to a cross, motionless.
The flaming bonfire reflected the faces of those watching the fun.
The executioners were not those noble knights, but ordinary hunters.
A guy with his shirt open, revealing a large patch of chest hair, was shouting loudly.
"Come on, anyone can come and do it, one whip can make you a thousand miles away!"
"As long as you hear the sound, you can immediately receive ten silver coins~"
"Next... who else wants to try? Haha, this is a murderous villain with a bounty of 2 billion. Don't you want to whip him for the innocent souls under his knife?"
"Haha, Mag, you only heard ten of the fifteen whips... But you also picked up ten thousand miles of rope for nothing! The next one..."
“…”
There were several whips soaking in the potion tank. From time to time, a scavenger would come on stage, pick up a whip and hit Guy hard, leaving a whip mark with blood and flesh turned outward.
With one sound, you can get ten silver coins.
Everyone was having a great time smoking.
Ryan sniffed the potion and found it had a corrosive smell, a bit like sand salt and crocus juice. He exclaimed in his heart, "Pain potion?"
He was now quite proficient in pharmacy, so he could naturally identify the potion.
This is a potion prepared by alchemists for interrogation, which can multiply the pain.
The whip was soaked in this potion, and if it hit you, the wound would feel like a burn, with continuous pain. This was a severe pain that a normal person would hardly be able to endure.
However, Guy, who was tied to the cross, did not say a word and allowed the whip to hit his body as if he was completely unconscious.
One whip after another, until the skin was torn and the flesh was bloody.
Although there is money to be made, not everyone has the hobby of torturing others.
Although the scavengers felt that Guy deserved to die, only a few of them stepped forward to take action.
However, dozens of people came on stage and took turns whipping Guy hundreds or thousands of times, and Guy looked like he was dying.
…
The caning lasted nearly an hour.
Guy on the cross was already very weak, with blood all over the ground. He might die at any time if he was whipped a few more times.
After a knight conveyed the order from his superiors and announced that "today's show" was over, everyone dispersed.
The hunters around him all went back to their tents to rest, but Ryan did not leave.
He found that Guy's eyes, hidden behind his blood-stained hair, fell on him.
Although he didn't know how the other party recognized him, he definitely recognized him at that glance.
Ryan probably guessed why Guy had to be whipped. This guy was like a self-abusing ascetic monk, using this way of self-torture to atone for his sins.
The hairy man on the stage saw Ryan not leaving and asked, "Hey, you want to have a couple of lashes too? Unfortunately, the event is over today..."
Ryan shrugged and pointed at Guy on the stage and said, "Hey, man, I'm a doctor. I think... you should give me a few silver coins and I'll help you cure him. Otherwise, he might not survive tonight, and there will be no fun tomorrow."
Hearing this, the hairy man laughed out loud, "You, a doctor, have found a good idea to make money..."
Ryan also laughed awkwardly and did not comment.
At this moment, his cochlea moved slightly, and before the gold coin fell at his feet, he discovered someone walking behind him.
He didn't move, and at this moment a charming voice came from behind him: "No need to cure him, just make sure he doesn't die."
Ryan turned his head and saw a very charming woman.
She was wearing a long black gauze dress, through which her long white legs were faintly visible. Her upper body was even cooler, with a thin piece of fabric like a bikini covering some private parts as small as a palm, exposing her entire beautiful back and slender waist. Her skin was as bright as the moonlight.
She walked towards us gracefully, her whole body exuding an extreme temptation that made people feel as if they could see spring scenery if they just looked at it carefully, which made people's hearts flutter.
This is a beautiful woman who looks very seductive and makes people feel that she is not a good person, but people can't help but want to press her to the ground and rub her.
At this moment, Ryan heard a clear sound from the system.
[Ding! Your mental power is fluctuating abnormally. You are being eroded by the 'Charm'...]
"Charm technique, it really is a spiritual transcendental technique..."
This was the first time Ryan encountered this kind of extraordinary ability.
The charm was not released deliberately for him. Perhaps the woman wanted to increase her own charm and created this "spiritual aura" that was always radiating outward.
Even though this ability is a bit humble, it is part of the orthodox “Law of Lust” among the “Seventy-two Divine Generals”, and one of the Seven Sins!
Seeing this woman who suddenly appeared, Ryan naturally guessed her identity. She was probably the [Moon Beauty] Maritis.
He was like a normal man, not hiding his gaze, looking at her body without any hesitation.
The woman seemed to be accustomed to men's greedy looks at her. She didn't even look at Ryan. She walked in front of Guy and chuckled, "Mr. Guy, this is just the beginning. Don't die too quickly..."
After admiring the wounds on Guy's body, she left with satisfaction.
It was not until the woman walked into the tent in the distance that the hairy man withdrew his gaze.
He looked at Ryan who picked up the gold coin and smiled with a blush: "Hey, man, you are lucky. That is the gold coin given to you by Miss Maritis."
"Oh, yes. It has a body scent too..."
Ryan picked up the gold coins on the ground with a smile.
When the hairy-chested man heard this, he looked even more mad, and said, "I really can't hold it in any longer. You take care of me, I'm going to find a woman to relieve my heat..."
…
As soon as that guy left, there were almost no people on the execution platform, except for a few listless-looking guards a few dozen meters away.
Ryan walked up to Guy and took out the surgical instruments.
Sure enough, Guy recognized him and said with a smile, "Doctor, we meet again."
Although Ryan didn't know how he could laugh with such serious injuries, the guy in front of him was laughing.
It was a very calm smile, without showing any pessimism.
"Yeah. We meet again."
Ryan pursed his lips and said, "But I didn't expect to see you under these circumstances..."
As he spoke, he checked Guy's injuries and said to himself: "The poison has been eliminated, but the recovery is not very good. Your body is in bad condition and needs nutrition..."
Muscle atrophy, if you want to recover, you must have a lot of energy to replenish. But Guy's body now is no different from before. But it's normal to think about it, they are all prisoners, it would be strange if they can eat well.
When Guy heard this, his eyes showed some strange emotions again, "Thank you, Doctor."
Ryan frowned slightly and said, "I gave you the antidote, but I didn't want to see you hurt like this."
They are just superficial injuries, and apart from being painful, they are not difficult to treat.
In order to prevent others from noticing anything, he only used some conventional surgical techniques, such as cleaning and suturing...
After a pause, he continued, "I think that even if you are like this, the fourth-level red robe method should not be able to keep you."
Ryan heard that the guy was arrested without even putting up a fight.
Guy said calmly, "I'm sorry to have you see me in such a miserable state, Doctor. But they are right. I should atone for the sins of the innocent souls of my men, and I deserve this beating..."
Ryan was treating his injuries and had no intention of saying anything.
Only he himself could overcome that psychological hurdle.
He asked, "Where's Naretta?"
Guy remained calm: "He was captured by those people."
Ryan asked curiously, "Oh, is there anyone who dares to catch her?"
Guy: "The blood of the Curse Clan has a strong curse power, but they are also top-level psychics who can use it to break the curse. I heard that those guys found a very cursed underground palace, and a great wizard of the 'Curse Sequence' heard about Naretta and captured him. His extraordinary rank and ability can suppress the negative effects of the bloodline. After all, Naretta is just an ordinary person..."
Ryan also showed a look of realization after hearing this.
After thinking about it, he asked again, "So what are you going to do? Get caught and let a phantom thief who has become a noble kill you?"
"I don't think Naretta will die. But I'm worried about her falling into the hands of that cursed wizard. So, I plan to go over and take a look."
At this point, Guy once again revealed his morbid optimism about life: "Look, someone is going to give me a ride for free, so I don't have to go by myself."
"hehe……"
Ryan chuckled. There was probably no one else in the world who could use the "prison van" as a free ride except this guy.
But when he heard this, he knew that the other party didn't need him to save him at all.
And this time, Guy asked, "What about you?"
Ryan: "My friend might have been captured or killed by the Rosas family. I plan to go and take a look. Maybe I'll kill a few people..."
Guy said calmly, "Oh."
The two of them stopped talking after this.
Ryan cleaned his wound, but it didn't heal it completely, leaving some shabby-looking suture scars.
After dealing with all this, he took out another milky white potion and said, "This is the [Strong Nutrition Potion], which can help you recover some of your muscles. But you need to circulate your fighting spirit to absorb it..."
Ryan thought about it and felt that he should give his advice to this man who always wanted to "harm himself" and probably wouldn't stop.
He then said: "[Frost Moon Swordsman] Carlo Gracie should appear in the 'Black Wind Territory' soon. I think that in your current state, you can't persuade him..."
When Guy heard the name, he remained silent, but his eyes trembled for a moment.
Once said, done.
Ryan left the prison van without looking back.
Just like a greedy doctor who only wants rough money and rough stitches.