Chapter 8: Crisis of Miss Keeley

As the afternoon sun grew stronger, Radon Town was in its most boisterous time. Han Jin and Miss Keeley stood silently on the second floor, watching below from the window.

Over 200 pedestrians downstairs had clustered in a circle. The old man that had sat by Miss Keeley yesterday was now standing in the center of the circle, saying something with his saliva flying.

“That idiot is forging master?” Cried the old man, his hand pointing at a pair of armor, his voice was so loud that even Miss Keeley and Han Jin upstairs were able to hear clearly.

Beside the old man stood a wooden shelf, on which there hung a pair of armor with extraordinary shape. On the armor, the place that should be flat was now protruded, and where should be sleek was polished out strips of stiff edges. The most exasperating thing was that the armor was completely unsymmetric, especially the right leg, short and thin. In a word, it was as ugly as anyone could think of.

The old man was obviously a competent swearing man. He first attacked the forging skill of Villar, then his personality. When both of the malicious words amused the onlookers, he turned to question the intelligence of Villar’s parents, then the entire race of the dwarf was involved, such an eloquent speaker who could gushing out an unceasing flow of words.

“Here he comes, the dwarf…” a turmoil started among the peripheral people.

Villar squeezed into the circle, gunk in his eyes. He was just woke up and was annoyed when hearing someone outside cursing the dwarven race.

That old man kept his cursing as though he didn’t see Villar at all, only the topic was back to Villar’s craftsmanship.

Villar stared at the armor with his eyes wide open and suddenly reared up: “You damn bullshitting!”

“I’m bullshitting?” The old sneered: “Master Villar, behind the armor there was your seal, do you want to deny it?”

“It’s true I forged it!” The sound of Villar’s roaring were like thunder. “But … but … This is the request of the guest!”

“A request of the guest? Ha ha ha … … master Villar, don’t take all people as fools. Who would require you to build such a pair of armor, could an ordinary man wear it?” The crowd burst out laughter. The old man shouted with his nose almost in the air: “I’m telling you, master, the guest you mentioned was totally took in by you. If he was not in a hurry to leave the town, he would definitely reveal your true colors himself!”

“You … …You … … ” Villar turned red and was too angry to splutter any word. Even he could say something, people wouldn’t believe.

The old man was more complacent. His topic extended to Villar’s parents and the whole dwarf race again. People around gave out coax laughter from time to time. Villar’s face turned more and more red. Finally, his temper became out of his control. His figure rushed as fast as a light toward the elder, before the onlookers could react, a thudding sound was heard, punch bashed on the belly of the old man. Though Villar wished to tear off the mouth of the elder, he was too short and had to pick a convenient place to attack.

The old man was caught off guard and his shape flied back as a kite, knocking off seven or eight onlookers, and then thudded on the ground, motionless, with blood and froth gushing out from his mouth.

“Someone’s killed…..” the crowd screaming and scrambling to flee around.

“Now, your trouble has been solved.” Han Jin turned around and sat on the chair with a swagger.

Miss Keeley also turned around suddenly. She stared at Han Jin. Her chest heaving rapidly and her eyesight cold, mixed with anger and condemnation.

“What’s wrong with it?” Han Jin asked lightly.

“No, you’re quite right!” Miss Keeley took a long breath.

“In that case … … You should pay me the other half of golden coins, shouldn’t you?” Han Jin smiled.

Miss Keeley took out a wrap of scarf, made a posture to throw it on the ground, but paused, then slowly put the scarf on the table, and said ferociously word by word: “Young master Raphael, ‘thank you’ for helping me out of this trouble!”

“You’re welcome.” Han Jin did not count exactly how many golden coins were inside the wrap. He put it away straightly, waited for a moment and said: “seems that I am now unwelcome here, but … … I have to tell you, although I am a very failed nobleman, it doesn’t mean that anyone is free to insult me. Anyway, I just wanted to give him a lesson, I’m sorry things going on like this.”

Miss Keeley didn’t say anything, just waved her hand coldly.

Han Jin stood up and walked slowly downstairs, with Steelberg followed him cunningly like a meek cat.

After they reaching another street from the rear door of the shop, Han Jin let out a long sigh of relief. He’s somewhat depressed, what he said just now was in fact the truth, but regretfully, she did not believe him

For Miss Keeley, though an accident occurred, it was by no means a bad thing. She could take use of this accident and control Villar firmly, even to force him to sign a slaving contract. She was the aggrieved party, so if she refused to accept compensation, Villar was sure to suffer severer punishment, and signing a slaving contract would be the last choice for him if he wanted to live. However, Han Jin was clearly aware that whatever Miss Keeley did, she was just making the last struggle.

Realizing his sunshine was blocked, Han Jin turned around, other than Steelberg behind, he saw the tall Moxinke. Han Jin asked curiously: “Moxinke, your task has been completed, why do you still follow us? ”

“The employment relationship has been terminated, what I am going to do there?” Moxinke smirked.

“Oh … …” Just as Han Jin was going to ask more, a cry let out from behind suddenly: “Finally I found you guys!”. His shoulder was grabbed by someone with a rush.

Han Jin turned around, recognized immediately the man who was dragging him. He was none other than his former butler Barbato, whom Steelberg had pointed at to Han Jin the day before.

“You don’t have conscience, do you?” Barbato shouted hoarsely: “For old master’s sake, I have always treated you as my own child. When did I reject you when you turn to me? You two rats! You dare came to my house and stole my things?? Take off your robes right now! …” thus shouting, Barbato tried to tear off the robe from Han Jin.

Han Jin frowned, stretched his hand and pushed Barbato a few steps back, which made Barbato even more angry with his lips trembling:

“You bastard, dare to push me! Give … ”

Before he finished his words, a handful of golden coins were thrown upward, making the air shining with golden lights, then dropped down back into Han Jin’s hand, as if the palm was gravitational. Barbato was dumbfounded, the same were the woman and some fellows from the enforcement team standing behind him.

“Catch.” Han Jin smiled, his thumbs flipped, a golden coin flied to Barbato, leaving a shiny arc midair.

Due to some habituation behaviors, Barbato stride forward craftily and catch the coin stably, a trace of fawning smile shown on his face. He bowed and flattered: “Thank you, young master…”

“Ha … …” Han Jin snorted, didn’t bother to respond to Barbato any more, but turned to Steelberg and Moxinke and said:” Let’s go and have a big meal.”

Barbato was indeed old. He didn’t come to himself until a moment later after he catching the coin. He stood there dully, with golden coin in hand, got lost. No one forced him to act like a slave, he had no one to blame to.

“Go away!” Moxinke pushed away one of the public security defendant who tried to block the way. The other fellows changed their face color, but when they saw the badge on Moxinke’s chest, their heads lowered dispiritedly.

It was the same rule everywhere. The weak would never be respected. You want respect, you need power, money, or fearful strength.

***

In a small tavern on the east of Radon Town, Han Jin and the other two were sitting by a square table. Moxinke put down the menu, asked: “Young master Raphael, What would you like to eat?”

“Let’s spare the honorifics, feel too awkward.” Han Jin said: “Call me Raphael.”

Moxinke thought for a moment and nodded: “All right, Raphael.”

“You order yours and I…” Han Jin hesitated: “Give me two plates of salt cassavas.” To Han Jin, eating in the tavern was wasting of money, it would be much cheaper to buy some cassavas from the market, but considering Moxinke’s vague attitude, he thought it might be worthwhile to spend some money and know more about him. Intuitively, he believed Moxinke meant well.

“Cassavas do not taste good.” Moxinke twitched his mouth.

“I like light food.” Han Jin replied.

A moment later, their dishes were served. Moxinke ordered fragrant steak wrapped by straw and roasted dragon heart. He also ordered a bottle of wine. Though the name roasted dragon heart sounded a little bit scary, it was actually just heart of a small grass-eating animal, something like lizard, without any aggressivity. While Steelberg, he ordered nothing. In the past ten odd years, he had always tried to see through his young master’s thoughts and feel his feelings, he considered this as his lifelong career. Though the true Raphael had gone, Steelberg still sensed something through some unknown channel. Just like now, even though Han Jin acted generously, Steelberg still sensed that his young master aches for this money.

“Moxinke, you just said that the agreement between you and Miss Keeley bad been terminated?” Han Jin asked.

“En.” Moxinke nodded: “she hired me to deal with the dwarf Villa. Since you have done this for her, why would she still keep me?”

“It’s too fast, the task is just finished and she drive you away immediately?” Han Jin sighed.

“Oh … … In fact I had done nothing since I came to Radon Town. Now I have got my money. There is no need for me to hang on there.”

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“Then what’s your plan next?” Han Jin narrowed his eyes.

“What about you?”

“Me? I don’t know.”

“Me either.” Moxinke spit out a piece of broken bones, laughed fatuously and said: “My teacher once told me to make more clever friends and learn more from them because my brain is not so good.”

“Oh?” Han Jin laughed in his heart. He knew Moxinke was not as dumm as he looked. On the contrary, he knew the big fellow was very smart. Otherwise he would not respond so fast in the bar to cooperate with him the day before, nor will he frighten those public security defendants to vent resentment for him.

“Raphael, you are a very smart person.” Moxinke said directly.

“Why would you say that?” Han Jin laughed.

“Yesterday you said you can use your brain to deal with Villar, I thought you were just a person who talks big. But the fact is you really did what you said, though the method was a little… sinister…”

“I don’t think I was wrong.” Han Jin said seriously, he knew very well the reason Moxinke judged him as sinister right in front of him was to test his nature: “Miss Keeley helped him and trusted him, but what did he do? A despicable traitor, did he have the right to demand others?”

“Well … … what you said make sense.” Moxinke thought for a moment and nodded: “By the way, when I tried to follow you downstairs I heard Miss Keeley pronouncing your name, Raphael, I think she likes you.”

“Really?” Before Han Jin could say anything, Steelberg had lighted up with pleasure. He always thought his young master still loves Miss Keeley, so when he heard this, he felt happy for Raphael with all his heart.

“What are you thinking!” Han Jin rolled his eyes at Steelberg: “Like? Ah … … She must hate me.”

“Why would she hate you, Young Master?”

“Because her people was killed by Villar, and she thinks that’s a trap arranged by me.”

“Did you do this deliberately?” Moxinke asked.

“Yes.” Han Jin answered in a low voice. In such a short time, Moxinke had tested him several times. No matter what conclusion had Moxinke got, Han Jin had already learned how “dumm” Moxinke was. “The only mistake I had made was that I overestimated Villar, I thought he would learn from his lessons after running away from the Holy Crown City, who knew he had such a bad temperament and beat a man to death with one pound.”

Moxinke was silent for a moment: “Raphael, what kind person do you think … … Miss Keeley is?”

“Very clever, but not that sophisticated. She lacks experience.” Han Jin thought for a while and continued: “When I told her to arrange the old man to laugh at the dwarf, she didn’t object, which meant she didn’t sense the danger. But she knew immediately that was a trap made by me when the old man was killed, meant that she was clever enough.”

Moxinke scratched his head, as if he had understood Han Jin’s words.

“Give her a few years, she will become a very powerful woman.” Han Jin pointed to his head: “of course, if she can live safely for these years.”

Moxinke was interested in this and asked: “Raphael, what do you mean by that?”

“Do you really think a guilty dwarf would betray Miss Keeley if he had no backers?” Han Jin lightened his voice: “As I think, the dwarf was either used by someone or threatened. If I know this, then Miss Keeley must know this too. But what did she do? She hired you to kill Villar at first, and then paid me to deal with him, hehe … … Moxinke, you still didn’t understand?”

Moxinke shook his head, his eyes stared at Han Jin without blinking, this time he didn’t pretend to be dumm, he really didn’t understand.

“In the competition with that guy, or those guys, Miss Keeley is obviously in a disadvantaged position. She could only target Villar to vent herself. She didn’t try to persuade him, but chose to kill him directly. She did this because she knew her opponents were very powerful and there would be no way for Villar to repent.”

“But … but … It only means Miss Keeley was in trouble, it doesn’t mean that she was in danger, does it?” Moxinke was still confused: “perhaps those people are just forcing Miss Keeley to agree on some conditions?”

“Not bad, you can think of this?” Han Jin gave a faint smile and said ironically: “seems your teacher had seen you wrong.”

“Ha … …” Moxinke scratched head embarrassingly, then returned to the subject: “Raphael, tell me more.”

“Whether Miss Keeley will be in danger or not is determined by her own character.” Han Jin said slowly: “To be honest, I went to see Miss Keeley for two reasons. One is that I was in need of money and wanted to earn some, as for the other, I tried to recommend myself with my actions, since I could help her to deal with Villar, I could, naturally, solve other problems for her. Though her opponents were very powerful, it won’t make things worse if she asked me to have a try, am I right?”

Moxinke listened carefully, while Steelberg was totally confused.

“But I thought myself clever. I not only overestimated Villar, but also underestimated Miss Keeley. She didn’t hide her hatred to me after the event, nor did she rat on her debts. If she refused to pay me the other half golden coins, I could do nothing against her. Moreover, she was going to throw the coins on ground to show her disdain and anger, but she didn’t do that, instead, she put the coins on table.” Han Jin paused for a while: “Through these, I could say that Miss Keeley was a person of principle who knows clearly what to love and what to hate. She will not suppress or bully her partners to show her detestation, nor will she hide her disdain and acted falsely. Such a lady usually has a very strong personality. In other words, if faced with irresistible pressure or suppression, she would rather die than live humbly! Do you understand?”

“Ah, I see.” Moxinke nodded: “On this more and more chaotic mainland, such kind of person are fewer and fewer.”

“But all these are just my guesses.” Han Jin put the last piece of cassava into his mouth: “things may not be going as I have expected, unexpected things happen all the time.”

“You mean … … what you said was just crap?”

“You can think that way.” Han Jin smiled, his eyesight fell on the menu. A dish of salt cassavas only costed him 12 copper coins, seemed that this tavern only charged a little as profit.

Han Jin beckoned a waiter, but who knows if a servant in such a small tavern could be counted as a waiter. The servant came immediately, with smile on his face, asked: “Young master, what else I can do for you.”

“50 plates of salt cassavas, please.”

“What??” Moxinke and the waiter asked with surprised expression on their faces simultaneously, only Steelberg still kept calm.

“50 plates of salt cassavas, is there any problem?”

The waiter stood there for a long time, shocked, then he walked toward the kitchen directly.

“Why do you need so many salt cassavas?” Moxinke asked curiously.

“To eat.” Han Jin answered simply.

It just took a short time when the plates of cassavas were served. Han Jin didn’t hesitate and rolled up his sleeves. The next moment he was seen eating with great presence of mind. Soon all the cassavas were wiped out. Since Han Jin had already accumulated some energy, he didn’t need to chew what he ate anymore. What he required was speed.

At first, Moxinke was just curious and wondered if Han Jin could eat them all. But when over twenty plates of cassavas were made a clean sweep, Moxinke were stunned. His eyes opened wider and wider, nearly out of his eye sockets. He even couldn’t help but bend down to see if Han Jin had hided the cassavas under the table or thrown them away by some strange ways. He would never thought that Han Jin was at his energy accumulating stage and would not even waste any peel, let alone throw away the cassavas.

In an instant, Han Jin had eliminated more than 40 plates of cassavas, the waiter’s arms were numb. Moxinke put down the glass and asked: “I … … I wonder… Raphael, are you a dragon? How can you eat so much?”

“Have you seen a dragon looks like me?”

“No, never, but high grade giant dragons can make transfiguration!”

“Have you heard a dragon eating salt cassavas?” busy eating, Han Jin didn’t forget to smile: “eat cassavas instead of delicious roasted meat?”

“It makes a sense. ” Moxinke thought: “but what if you’re a poor dragon?”

“You are really … … Even if I am poor, but what do dragons symbolize? If I had the time to chat with you, why don’t I fly to the Holy Crown City and find Lord Dismark directly?”

“But it was impossible for an ordinary man to eat so much! If you … … If you are a little bit eccentric … … I mean, really weird, and you just like cassavas?”

“Moxinke, to tell you the truth, had you ever been stroke by your teacher before?” Han Jin was totally speechless by Moxinke’s imagination. He knew he couldn’t underestimate this big fellow, but he also couldn’t overestimate him. Contradicting others was just a habit of Moxinke, not because he has sensed something abnormal.

“What does that mean?”

“Nothing. ” Han Jin shook his head reluctantly: “I admit I am a dragon, does this please you?”

“Who believes it?!” Moxinke scoffed: “If you are a dragon, you will let Miss Keeley go? I’m telling you, all dragons are slutty!”

Though Han Jin had always restrained himself by strict requirements, he was almost out of control and wanted to slap Moxinke’s face by plates in hand. When he was analyzing Miss Keeley’s personality, that guy argued with him. He denied himself was a dragon, that guy argued with him. Now he admitted himself was a dragon, that guy still argued with him! What an unreasonable guy?! No one could see through Moxinke’s personality only by his appearance.