Chapter 398 398-Encounter with Injustice

Chapter 398 398-Encounter with Injustice

Antalya spoke, "Considering the time, my companions should be almost done with their purchases. It's time for me to leave. I'll find an inn to stay in the settlement and will keep an eye on your daughter from the shadows, ensuring her protection."

"You could stay here, you know. With a bit of tidying up, we should have enough guest rooms! It might make protecting easier," Harry suggested.

"The difference wouldn't be significant. Active protection is still a passive approach in the end, as you've mentioned, Red Eye is expected to visit the town."

"Yes, because he demands we deliver Lorinda mushrooms quarterly, he should come to collect them himself or send his men while lurking nearby," Harry said with certainty.

"You must have reported this to the authorities in Breeze City, right?" Antalya asked with a smile, though her eyes held a hint of ice.

"Yes, we've reported it. They should have sent someone over by now."

"That will do." Antalya stood up.

"Eliminating Red Eye will ensure complete safety for you and your daughter."

Antalya walked towards the living room door, with Greg rising to follow her silently.

Throughout the conversation, Greg had remained quiet, almost forgotten by Harry until he suddenly stood up, startling Harry moderately.

It wasn't until the two had left the living room without looking back that Harry remembered he should have seen them out.

By the time he got to the door, however, they had vanished into the distance.

While Harry was still puzzled by Antalya and Greg's sudden disappearance, the duo had already exited the yard and run into Vivia, who had just returned from shopping.

However, the moment they met, Vivia burst out in panic, "Antalya! It's terrible! Howard is about to get into a fight!"

Let's rewind to an hour earlier, just as Antalya and Greg were being shown into the courtyard by a servant, and Howard and the others set off to make their purchases.

Despite being a small settlement with a population of just two thousand, the market here was surprisingly bustling.

A significant number of traveling merchants chose to conduct their business here for two main reasons: it allowed them to avoid the entry taxes of Breeze City, and the local authority was relatively more approachable.

As he walked through the lively market, Howard curiously surveyed his surroundings.

After all, he had claimed to be a refugee from the countryside, so it was only natural for him to appear inexperienced.The most uptodate novels are published on n0velbj)n((.))co/m

Everything here was novel to him, and he was also gathering information that might come in handy in the future.

Upon closer observation, Howard noticed a difference between the mainland and the depths of the new continent.

It wasn't due to the political system or culture, but because of mana.

Howard could see the shadow of mana in these transactions! This realization gave him a new understanding of the power dynamics here.

Although their magic couldn't compare, in terms of firearms, his Oli Kingdom held an advantage.

Under Howard's significant development efforts, Oli Kingdom's cannons feared no magus, though they lacked mobility.

"Hey, how about two kilos of apples? They're really sweet, just picked from the tree!"

A middle-aged fruit vendor noticed the trio wandering around the market and called out loudly.

Though Ali knew the shopping list, understanding what needed to be purchased and successfully completing the purchase were two different things.

So, in reality, they hadn't made any progress, just meandering through the market.

Jumping down from the cart, Howard brushed off some straw from his clothes and waved his hand, "Since we're not getting anywhere by sticking together, why don't we split up? Let's meet back at the market entrance in an hour?"

Vivia didn't say anything, but her gaze fixed on the paper bag betrayed her desire.

Howard, catching on quickly, took out another apple, wiped it, and tossed it to Vivia.

"This is officially mine now!" Vivia said, her eyes darting around.

"Yes, yes, eat up. They're pretty good," Howard said, looking away.

"Do you... want to walk around with me?"

Vivia didn't respond.

"Then, I'll go on my own!" Howard declared and moved forward.

Yet, his ears caught the sound of someone dismounting, footsteps following behind him, and the crisp sound of someone biting into an apple.

The two of them walked through the market, one in front of the other, one carrying a big bag of apples.

The other led a pony, and anyone passing by could hear the continuous, crisp sound of apple biting.

From one end of the market to the other, there was no communication between them, not even walking side by side.

Howard felt uneasy all over.

Something felt off.

Glancing down at the paper bag, now about a quarter less full of apples, and then back at Vivia, he blurted out, "I... I... I was just heading this way by coincidence!"

Just as Howard was about to lose his patience and criticize Vivia, a commotion erupted from a nearby stall.

"Thief! Catch that thief!"

A slim figure darted out of the crowd, sprinting towards the other end of the market.

Although it was just a fleeting glance, Howard noticed a distinctive feature of the figure: a pair of fuzzy ears.

Beast ears?

"Is that a street child?" Vivia murmured softly.

"Street child?"

"This place was once occupied by the Orc Kingdom, also known as Akadira Kingdom across the Silverwind Prairie, and some incidents occurred. As a result, there are quite a few descendants of Orcs here. But because the war ended abruptly, those of mixed blood became targets of hatred."

Howard was astonished; there was even an Orc Kingdom here?

It seemed conquering the new continent to incorporate it into his Oli Kingdom was a long and arduous task indeed.

Howard slowly said, "Such hatred is senseless. They haven't done anything wrong."

"I'm going to check it out," Howard stated, his voice low.

"Places like this can be very xenophobic," Vivia warned.

"You might get into trouble."

"So, we just let it be?" Howard handed the apple he was holding to Vivia.

"What big crime can a street child commit? At most, they steal some fruit or food. Hold this for me; I'll be right back."