Chapter 798: Extort—Protection Money - 1

Chapter 798: Extort—Protection Money - 1

Seeing the guards’ rowdy nature, Leo quickly came up with a great plan.

Hehehe, this will be fun. He chuckled to himself.

But first, he needed to assess the risks he was about to take.

Things would get ugly if the leader was stronger than him or Howl.

Before entering, Leo had encountered large, fenced-off farms outside the territory gates, planted with various staple crops.

They seemed to receive their water supply from a natural waterfall flowing down one of the mountains. That same water formed a river that served as a natural moat at the territory’s entrance.

With a thought, he quickly melded into the shadows and slipped through the territory gates unnoticed.

The first thing he noticed after passing through the city gates was the stench of filth.

Ugh... Leo quickly held his breath.

He could survive without breathing for a few days, but he was sure he’d meet his demise if he had to endure that stench for a few hours.

What the fuck...

Leo’s eyes twitched as he gazed around the territory’s buildings and alleys.

They were littered with all kinds of waste, ranging from rotten food to human and beast faeces. Although the buildings seemed to be made of wood and earth, their overall condition was run-down.

He spotted a few scattered training grounds and shopping areas. All in all, it looked like a messy city, with only a handful of houses that could be considered proper.

Thankfully, the outer area seemed the worst. After walking for more than 3 kilometres, he came across another boundary. This section looked much more refined, and even the buildings inside were of better quality. It clearly separated the city’s inner and outer areas.

The territory was shaped as an irregular rectangle, designed to cover the entire mountain pass horizontally at the entrance so no one could cross the mountains without passing through it. Two sides were naturally covered by the two mountains, while the remaining open sides were protected by sturdy walls.

The inner walls formed a square—like a castle—with each side around 1,000 to 1,200 metres long. It was clearly a city within a city.

The moment Leo stepped inside, the change was eye-opening. Though not perfect, the ground wasn’t littered with filth everywhere, and the houses were built according to a proper layout. Even the mana density was 10% to 15% higher than normal.

A few training grounds showed people sparring. However, the most eye-catching structure was a 30-metre-tall building in the centre, surrounded by above-average houses.

It was obviously the Territory Leader and important people’s building, with higher-ranked guards stationed around its perimeter.

As Leo looked around, he realised that this was indeed a well-established territory. It had an open market where people sold, bought, and bartered goods. Food stalls lined key locations, and even children could be seen running and playing.

Territory guards also patrolled regularly, though half of them were lazily resting.

Leo’s mind quickly ran the numbers.

Total Population: 60,000

Soldiers on Walls: 1,200

Territory Guards: 2,500

Elite Guards: 150

Other Military Personnel: 1,150

Civilians and Their Families: 55,000

This small shithole of a place had a higher population than his home city, Kendru. Part of the reason was that the living spaces were extremely cramped.

The soldiers were ordinary people with strength ranging from Low 1-star to Mid 1-star. The territory guards seemed a bit better, with a few reaching the High 1-star range. The strongest were the elite guards, most of whom were Low 2-star, with some reaching Mid 2-star.

For now, Leo hadn’t found anything particularly interesting. The territory’s main source of income seemed to be the toll tax charged to those crossing the mountain pass, with some additional income coming from products made by the civilians.

While disguised, he gathered some information, and apparently the Territory Leader was a 4th-term student. The territory was ranked 220th across all four-term, overall rankings.

Leo checked his phone and was shocked.

He had stumbled into a bigshot’s territory.

A Mid Yellow (5)-Tier Territory with 2.5 million Prosperity Points.

The Territory Leader’s name was hidden, and the territory’s name had changed to Mountain Way City.

He was even more shocked by the fact that having 2.5 million Prosperity Points had only earned someone the 220th rank. He himself was hovering around the 1,900th position with around 100K Prosperity Points.

But one thing was clear. Even with such a vast disparity in rankings and Prosperity Points, Leo’s territory could walk sideways all over this city—literally—with Howl, completely razing it to the ground.

But of course, Leo wouldn’t do that. Destroying this territory, or city, would leave so many innocent people homeless, forcing them to look for a new territory to settle in.

However, to charge such exorbitant tolls, Leo needed to make the Territory Leader bleed a little.

He quickly made his way into the leader’s building to check on the leader’s strength.

"Ahh, dude, I also want to establish a nice territory and enjoy life like our City Lord..." one of the stationed guards grumbled to the guard standing next to him.

"For real, man. The City Lord has so many women in his harem..." the other guard replied enviously.

Leo quickly passed the guards unnoticed and scrounged through the building.

Needless to say, he was disappointed. Only 4 or 5 people in the entire territory had considerable strength. Each one ranged from Mid 3-star to Peak 3-star, and they seemed to be the territory’s Elders.

As for the Leader, or City Lord, he was locked away in his luxurious room, with all sorts of noises coming from inside. Leo had no desire to investigate further.

However, he did sense that the Leader was the strongest, possessing Pseudo 4-star strength.

"Hmm, the Elders and the City Lord seem to be the only Beast Masters," Leo concluded, then ordered Howl to continue his journey toward Mountain Way Territory.

He quickly made his way out of the city gates and, after waiting for the perfect moment, joined the line of people waiting to enter the city, with Nyxa by his side. He calculated how long it would take him to reach the city gate and when Howl would appear.

Nyxa had reduced herself to the size of a 3-metre-tall wolf and walked proudly beside her master.

’Master! Why wait behind these weaklings? Allow me to take you to the front!’ Nyxa huffed, eager for the command to cause chaos and scare away all the weak people ahead of them so Leo could naturally stand in front.

Leo chuckled internally, then patted her neck and stroked her soft white fur.

"Don’t be in a rush. I have a plan."

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*Image of Mountain Way City*