Lin Lei quietly slipped away and returned to his courtyard.
From the outer wall of the estate where Clayde resided back to his own courtyard, Lin Lei's brow remained tightly furrowed the entire way. The news he had just received made him realize things were going to be troublesome.
"Lin Lei, what have you decided to do?" Derinkoort emerged from the Coiling Dragon Ring.
Lin Lei's courtyard was still some distance from Clayde's estate. Derinkoort, a peak Saint Realm powerhouse from over five thousand years ago, wasn't worried about that Lord Fallen Leaf detecting him.
"I?"
Lin Lei clenched his fists. "Endure. I can only endure."
Derinkoort nodded approvingly. He had watched Lin Lei grow up over the years, and toward Lin Lei, Derinkoort felt the affection of a grandfather toward his grandson.
He didn't want Lin Lei to be too impulsive.
"Lin Lei, don't worry." Derinkoort stroked his beard confidently. "That person called Fallen Leaf is probably just passing through with Clayde. He definitely won't stay with Clayde for long. The Clayde of the past was a king of a kingdom, yet even his status was far below Fallen Leaf's. And the Clayde of today… the Fenlei Kingdom has even been destroyed. He's even less significant now. And from what we know, the new Holy Capital chosen by the Church of Light should not be Hess City. This Fallen Leaf won't stay in Hess City for long either."
Lin Lei nodded.
The old Holy Capital, Fenn City, had been destroyed by the army of the Magic Beast Mountain Range, reduced to ruins. The Church of Light would absolutely not allow something like that to happen again. Naturally… they wouldn't establish the new Holy Capital at Hess City, which sat closest to both borders.
After all, Di Lin, the king of the Magic Beast Mountain Range, had declared that the magic beasts might occupy half of the Holy Alliance's territory. They had only taken a third so far, but if they pushed to half, Hess City would be included.
Haitins and the others of the Church of Light simply did not have the confidence to confront Di Lin, who had reached the God-level.
Although the Church of Light still possessed hidden powers it hadn't yet revealed, if they actually brought them out to contend with Di Lin, the result would be the complete destruction of over ten thousand years of accumulated strength.
Haitins didn't have the nerve for that kind of fight.
"Wait." Lin Lei took a deep breath, trying to keep himself calm. Now that he knew Clayde's whereabouts, as long as he didn't make a mistake, Clayde wouldn't be able to escape.
In a tavern not far across from the estate that Sharker had purchased, this tavern was also the spot where the two servants Lin Lei had hired regularly kept watch on Sharker and the others.
That day.
Wearing an ordinary short-sleeved undershirt, Lin Lei's chest muscles were naturally on display, and his powerful, muscular arms revealed his formidable strength. On his back, he carried a heavy sword.
A heavy-sword warrior!
Lin Lei's attire was very ordinary, since warriors valued physical training, and most powerful warriors had robust builds. Using a heavy sword was common among them.
"Boss, bring me two plates of roast meat and two bottles of Matador," Lin Lei said in a low voice.
"Please have a seat, sir." The waiter, upon seeing Lin Lei's build, was extremely respectful. Lin Lei chose a seat near the back, which offered a clear view through the door and windows of the scene in front of Clayde's estate.
The waiter immediately pulled out the seat and respectfully let Lin Lei sit down.
"Please wait a moment, sir," the waiter said with a smile. At that point, another waiter was already bringing over two bottles of "Matador." Matador was an extremely strong liquor, beloved by many powerful warriors.
The waiter secretly glanced at the heavy sword on Lin Lei's shoulder and thought in shock, "Oh my Lord, such a thick and long heavy sword. From its color, it doesn't seem to be ordinary steel. It must weigh several hundred jin. This gentleman is truly a powerful warrior."
Working as a waiter in a tavern, when they had nothing to do, they would secretly observe every customer. Over time, they had developed sharp eyes. From Lin Lei's relaxed demeanor and the style of his heavy sword, the waiter judged him to be a powerful warrior.
Not far from Lin Lei, the "elder brother" of the two siblings Lin Lei had hired immediately walked over.
"Take some roast meat back to eat with Bei Bei," Lin Lei instructed directly before the man could speak.
"Yes, my lord."
The "elder brother" of the two had nothing important to attend to anyway, so he promptly carried out Lin Lei's order and took some roast meat back.
After that, Lin Lei sat in the tavern drinking quietly.
Lin Lei drank very slowly. A single bottle could last him two or three hours. Sipping gradually, he also kept his attention fixed on the entrance to Clayde's estate.
Evening.
Near the tavern, a bard was singing loudly, and the entire interior was bustling with noise. Many warriors were shouting and clamoring.
Because of this recent disaster, Hess City had become more lively than ever before.
Even in this tavern, one could see many formidable warriors. Warriors were generally boisterous by nature, and several had started competing in arm wrestling.
"Ten thousand gold coins — the winner takes ten thousand gold coins!" The referee beside them immediately shouted.
For many powerful warriors who had fled here, ten thousand gold coins wasn't exactly a small amount, but it wasn't enormously large either.
"Come, those ten thousand gold coins are mine." A man of extraordinary build — over two meters tall, with a tiger's back and bear's waist, arms as thick as an average person's thighs, with short brown hair — sat down.
"Hmph, I'll take you on."
Another man with red hair, similar in build to Lin Lei, walked over. The two immediately extended their arms. The moment their hands clasped together, the muscles on both their arms visibly bulged.
The men around them, holding large tankards, all began shouting excitedly.
"Days like these are actually quite interesting." Lin Lei knew that waiting for Fallen Leaf and the other ascetics to leave was extremely tedious. Who knew how long Fallen Leaf and the others would stay? One day? Two days? Or perhaps ten days to half a month?
Lin Lei watched with some interest.
"These two are no weaklings — at least sixth-level warriors." Lin Lei nodded to himself. Hess City truly was a gathering place for experts.
The two men's muscles bulged as they exerted forces exceeding ten thousand jin.
"Ha!" The brown-haired man with arms as thick as an average person's thighs suddenly bellowed, the veins on his arms writhing like earthworms, making it seem as though they might burst at any moment.
The red-haired man's face flushed red as well, refusing to give an inch.
"Creak, creak~~" The table where their elbows rested began to tremble.
The tavern's tables and chairs were all made of steel, incredibly sturdy. And when powerful warriors arm-wrestled, their precise control of strength could normally allow them to wrestle with their arms suspended in the air. For their strength to affect the table meant both had reached their limits.