Chapter 342: The Mantis Stalks the Cicada

"To be precise, it’s twenty-one thousand, three hundred and sixty-two Gold Coins," Levi Bengsen said, his expression unchanged despite knowing his paper trick had been exposed. "With all due respect, Lord Ron, we can’t afford a loss of even twenty thousand Gold Coins. After all, we’re merely one of the three major families of Cloud Port."

"This is your profit, and net profit at that!" Constance’s expression soured as she rapped her knuckles on the table. "Sir Bengsen, do you take us all for goblins?"

Delaford remained silent. He took the chart from Ron, looked it back and forth, and concluded that they actually did seem to have suffered a loss—and a significant one at that.

But Ron and his group clearly thought otherwise. Besides, the Goblin Hunter couldn’t care less if they had lost money or not. In fact, it would be perfect if they had. He couldn’t stand the sight of these two anyway.

If Constance had to use goblins in her insult, so be it.

"Net profit is one thing, but our Bengsen Clan is large and prosperous. Once it’s divided among everyone, the amount per person is quite small. Many people are now complaining about your territory, and they’re becoming rather aggressive."

"What? Are you planning to come to Delusional Land to pick a fight with us over this?" Ron sounded amused. "Then by all means, come. You can cross the entire Gobi Desert to attack us. If you have the guts."

"You seem quite confident," Levi said, narrowing his eyes. He had already made inquiries. This Lord was a refugee from north of Fromm. Although he had recently been active around the City-State Alliance, besides persuading Rose City to remain neutral during the conflict with Carolina, he appeared to have no other outside support.

’Even so, it’s best to play it safe. The Bengsen family can’t actually send men to attack Delusional Land. Not only would it leave their home base vulnerable to attack from the other families in Cloud Port, but public opinion would also turn against them. If they really want to pull out this thorn for good, it would be much safer to first reach an agreement with the City-State Alliance to the south.’

At this thought, Levi immediately dropped his eager demeanor. "You jest, Your Lordship. We have absolutely no untoward intentions toward Delusional Land. However, I came here on a mission. My clan has suffered immense losses, and we cannot simply let the matter drop."

"Just get to the point. What do you want?"

"One price: one hundred thousand Gold Coins," Levi said, the number stunning. Even as he watched several of Ron’s companions jump to their feet, he insisted on finishing. "Lord Ron, there’s no need for your advisors to overreact. The clan is merely demanding compensation for the economic losses you’ve caused over the last six months. And, by the way, you’ll also have to shut down this trade route."

"Shut it down?" Ron let out a humorless laugh. "I’m all ears. How exactly do you propose we do that? Set up checkpoints and seize cargo?"

"No, no, no. You can use a more subtle approach. I’ve already thought it all out for you," Levi said, full of confidence. "The northern climate is growing colder, and winter is approaching. You can use that as a pretext to levy additional transit taxes. Merchants are driven by profit; they’ll naturally go elsewhere, and you won’t leave any room for criticism."

"For example, you could collect road maintenance fees, carriage fees, and so on. With these taxes, you could earn even more than you are now, while our family’s interests would no longer be harmed. I’m certain we can have a pleasant partnership."

’Did this kid get his head caught in a door?’ Now even Delaford could tell something was off. Wasn’t this just one of the same tricks they used to pull back in the caves? It just had a prettier name!

As a goblin from that era, how could he not know which of the two lifestyles was more welcome, which allowed one to live a more comfortable life?

Faced with this type of person who remained utterly clueless even after being threatened, Ron completely lost interest in negotiating. Half an hour later, Levi and Stellan were stripped to the waist and thrown out onto the street. An order from the Lord quickly spread throughout all of New Green Swamp Town: any merchant caravan from the Bengsen Clan wishing to trade within Delusional Land must pay exorbitant road maintenance fees, carriage fees, and a land occupancy fee!

"What’s the use of a land occupancy fee?" Aive asked curiously as she watched Ron emerge with his hands clasped behind his back. "They’re surely not planning to open a merchant guild on our land."

"The caravans might not occupy land, but the people do," Ron said, glancing down at Stellan below the steps, whose bald head had turned purple with rage. "See that? Their feet are touching the ground. If they’re on the ground, they have to pay!"

"I protest these fees! How dare you treat a sir in such a manner!" Levi roared, trembling with rage as his Attendants, who had been waiting outside, helped him up. "Ron! Do you really intend to declare war on the Bengsen Clan!"

"Do you dare declare it?" Ron sneered. A faint Dragon Roar echoed from the lone high tower in New Green Swamp Town. "By the way, there’s a fee for protesting, too!"

"If you don’t want to pay, that’s fine by me. I’ll just post signs at every intersection in my territory, letting all passing travelers know that from this day forward, you Bengsens are considered defaulters here!"

"You!"

’To get from the City-State Alliance to Cloud Port by land, one had to pass through Delusional Land. How was this any different from announcing it to every traveling merchant in the south?’

"Our clan will have its justice!"

While the two Bengsens were raising an uproar out front, their caravan’s quarters had fallen into an eerie, uncharacteristic silence. They had doubled the guards at the entrance to the compound, and any onlookers trying to get a closer look were mercilessly driven away.

Had a master of stealth managed to slip into the compound at that moment, they would have discovered that this silence was no accident.

Nearly all the caravan guards, staff, and bookkeepers had been gathered in the courtyard. Under the influence of some strange power, these ordinary people were lying unconscious on the ground, strewn about in disarray without any sign of a struggle. Across the entire courtyard, and indeed the whole compound, only two people remained standing.

The taller, leaner figure was a female Spotted Cat Person, while the stockier one was a male wearing a solid-colored mask. Judging by his build, he was likely a dwarf. Both were dressed in the uniforms of the Bengsen family’s Attendants, each with a Silver Star pinned to their shoulder.

"Young Master, the ’Purple Rhythm’s’ Suggestion Magic was a complete success. Those two fools, Levi and Stellan, are currently raising a fuss with the local Lord." The Spotted Cat Person respectfully handed a pendant to the dwarf. The pendant’s chain was woven from golden thread, complementing the mysterious aura of the amethyst stone.

However, even a precious Magic Item such as this had a limited number of uses. Hypnotizing the entire compound’s occupants in one go had completely drained the pendant’s power. When the dwarf accepted it, the slight movement was the final straw.

With a soft CRACK, several irregular fissures spiderwebbed across the amethyst’s surface.

"Young Master..."

"It’s nothing. We were preparing to leave anyway," the dwarf said with a wave of his hand. In an instant, his and the Spotted Cat Person’s forms blurred. A moment later, two unremarkable-looking humans stood in their place. "Since the Bengsen family has already played the fool, it’s our turn to take the stage."

"Your foresight is brilliant, Young Master," said the servant—who had taken the form of the female Spotted Cat Person but was, in reality, a man in his early fifties—as he bowed. "Of Cloud Port’s three great families, the Milkwei are focused on dealing with the likes of merfolk and care little for onshore affairs. The Bengsens, meanwhile, have just made a public fool of themselves today. If the Lord of Delusional Land wishes to maintain his relationship with Cloud Port, he’ll have no choice but to rely on us."

"When we negotiate later, will you still be pulling the strings from behind the scenes, Young Master? If that’s the case, what’s our bottom line?"

"Let’s not worry about the minor details yet," the man, now as tall as Levi, said with a wave. "Mark, take off all the Bengsen Clan insignias first. We’ll change locations and bide our time. You’ve booked the inn, haven’t you?"

"All booked," the old man replied, removing the Silver Star from his shoulder. "Funnily enough, the inn is apparently run by a pack of Kobolds. They have a huge Black Dragon head painted on the front desk, and they..."

The old man and the younger man were clearly quite close, despite their master-servant relationship. But the younger man had no interest in such tidbits at the moment. "Uncle Mark, we’ll have plenty of time for amusing stories later. For now, we need to leave, quickly. Before these people wake up and before Levi gets back."

"We’ll pay a visit to this ’tough nut’ of a Lord tonight. Before that, I need to find a place to rest and let my face breathe a little."

After leaving the Bengsen caravan’s compound and rounding a few corners, the man slowly took off his mask. Several massive, hideous scars snaked across what might have once been a handsome face.

’Levi Bengsen, you ruined my face... so I will grind the entire honor of the Bengsen Clan under the heel of the Holt family!’