Chapter 148 - 123: The Northern Territory Changes Hands and the Limitations of the Breathing Technique

Chapter 148: Chapter 123: The Northern Territory Changes Hands and the Limitations of the Breathing Technique

It took him just over two hours to get from the border of the Sal Empire back to Ice Wind City, the capital of Green Province.

The gates of Ice Wind City were shut tight, with soldiers occasionally patrolling the ramparts.

Despite the patrols, sneaking into Ice Wind City posed no difficulty for Roy.

An ordinary person could never scale walls ten to twenty meters high.

But with just a slight exertion of force, he could leap over them with ease.

Effortlessly, he vaulted over the wall and into the city.

Ice Wind City was far less bustling at night than during the day.

The vast streets were empty, save for a few scattered pedestrians and patrolling soldiers.

The only establishments still open for business were inns, taverns, brothels, and casinos.

After entering Ice Wind City, Roy wasted no time finding a nearby inn and checking in.

He wasn’t particularly tired, but he didn’t mind getting some rest at the inn before settling his score with the Ironblood Duke.

A suite on the second floor of the inn.

Roy lay in the bathtub, his eyes closed, relaxing both his body and his spirit.

At the same time, he was contemplating how to kill the Ironblood Duke and completely annihilate the Reilly Clan.

Though his feud was only with the Ironblood Duke, he had no intention of leaving any loose ends.

’As the saying goes, you have to pull the weeds out by the roots!’

’Sparing the rest of the Reilly Clan out of some foolish mercy would only sow the seeds of future trouble.’

After a moment of thought, Roy came up with a simple, brutal plan.

’I’ll grab a late-night meal, then head to Iron Blood Castle!’

’Then, I’ll take complete control of Iron Blood Castle and Ice Wind City before dawn!’

His decision made, he cleared his mind and savored the comfort of his hot bath.

「Time passed slowly.」

When the bathwater grew cool, Roy stepped out of the tub and retrieved a clean set of black Hunter’s Clothing from Chaos Square.

Once dressed, he left the inn without a moment’s hesitation, leaping from the window and making for a nearby tavern.

Since taking the job from Margery, he had only eaten two proper meals.

The first was lunch in Iron Armor Turtle Town, on the second day of his employment.

The other was the lunch he enjoyed at the Sweet Dreams Continue inn after arriving in Ironhoof Town.

Other than those two meals, he had been subsisting on either hunted game or dry rations.

Not long after leaving the inn, Roy found a decent-looking tavern.

’There’s a simple way to tell if a tavern is any good.’

’You just have to see how crowded it is.’

’A tavern with a lot of patrons can’t be too bad.’

The Mermaid Dancer Tavern!

Glancing at the sign hanging next to the entrance, Roy pushed open the door without hesitation and walked in.

He wore no disguise, but he wasn’t particularly worried about being recognized.

Many people had heard his name, but very few had actually seen him in person.

Including this visit, he had only ever been to Ice Wind City twice.

His previous visit had been on his way to the Royal Capital, answering a summons from the Royal Family.

The moment he stepped into the tavern’s main hall, Roy understood why it still had so many customers so late at night.

Unlike the other taverns he had been to, the main hall of the Mermaid Dancer featured a small stage.

And on that stage, several scantily-clad dancers were writhing their bodies with suggestive movements.

As their bodies swayed, their already sparse clothing became even sparser.

Watching the scene, a certain term immediately flashed through Roy’s mind.

’A strip club!’

’Back on Blue Star, the Mermaid Dancer would be, without a doubt, a strip club.’

He looked away after a single glance.

His list of partners wasn’t long—only Catherine, Miria, and Margery.

But his tastes had been thoroughly spoiled by those three.

He could no longer stomach such plain fare.

To get a better view of the dancers, the other patrons had chosen seats as close to the stage as possible.

Scanning the hall, Roy walked over to an empty table far from the stage and sat down.

He had barely sat down when a similarly scantily-clad waitress appeared before him.

Roy first ordered a bottle of ale, then asked about the tavern’s house specials.

After listening to the waitress’s recommendations, he pulled out a coin purse, tossed it to her, and ordered one of every house special.

The waitress’s face lit up with uncontrollable delight after she opened the purse and glanced inside.

Although Roy had ordered a lot of food, the total cost would only be a dozen or so Silver Coins.

But the purse contained twenty to thirty Silver Coins.

Clearly, the rest was her tip.

After sincerely thanking Roy for his generosity, the waitress left with a wide smile, clutching the coin purse.

「Over half an hour later.」

Having eaten and drunk his fill, Roy left the tavern and set out for Iron Blood Castle.

The Ironblood Duke had no idea that this would be the last night of his life.

At this moment, he was in his study, dressed in a magnificent Noble Robe and reviewing the documents before him.

As the Duke in command of the Northern Territory, he had no shortage of official business to handle.

This was especially true now, with the Kalin Kingdom invading the Southern Territory.

Although the Kalin Kingdom had not yet completely conquered the Southern Territory, it was only a matter of time.