Chapter 205: Honey Trap?

When Lu Wei reached the execution grounds next to the Town Hall, he arrived just in time for the “epilogue” of the hanging—

On a platform made of wooden planks, Reck and another Sheriff were taking Watson’s body down from the gallows.

Executing criminals might be a rare sight in other towns, but it wasn’t uncommon in Heitai Town.

So, not many people had come to watch—only a few dozen or so—and they were now leaving in small groups.

Lu Wei glanced around and quickly spotted Bai Ya standing in a corner.

She seemed relatively calm.

There was no joy of revenge, nor any pity that would make her soft-hearted.

It was more or less in line with his assessment of her as “kind but not soft.”

It was a good thing she wasn’t “soft.”

‘She’s already so dense. If she were a goody-two-shoes on top of that, I really couldn’t stand it.’

“What are you still standing here for?”

Lu Wei walked over, leading a donkey whose hooves made soft THUMPING sounds on the loose soil.

Bai Ya turned her head, and the moment she saw the little donkey, her mouth dropped open in surprise.

“Where did this donkey come from?”

“Just bought her!”

Lu Wei patted the donkey’s neck proudly. “A five-year-old jenny, only 1 gold coin and 1 silver. A bargain, right!”

“It’s not that expensive, but why did you buy a donkey?” Bai Ya asked, looking completely baffled.

“To do work, of course.”

Lu Wei exchanged a look with the donkey. “We need to transport goods often now. She’ll make things a lot easier.”

“Oh, I see.”

Bai Ya leaned in and stroked the donkey’s head with great interest.

The little donkey was very gentle. Not only did it not shy away, but it also lowered its head and nuzzled her palm, letting out a few soft HEE-HAWS.

“Huh, I can’t understand what she’s saying.”

Bai Ya’s expression suddenly turned confused. She looked up. “Even using Beast Language doesn’t work.”

“No way.”

Lu Wei asked nonchalantly, “Are there some restrictions on Beast Language?”

“Um… oh, right. The animal’s Intelligence needs to be two points or higher.”

“Well, there you have it. It means this donkey’s Intelligence is less than two.”

“Is that so?”

Bai Ya paused for a moment, then looked down at the little donkey, which was staring back at her with its two big eyes.

Big eyes stared into small eyes; the girl and the donkey looked at each other for a moment.

Then, Bai Ya shook her head with great sympathy.

“You’re so dumb, little donkey.”

“…”

‘Geez, pot, meet kettle. You’re one to talk.’

…

…

Soon, Lu Wei and Bai Ya left the execution grounds.

Watson’s body was also dragged away.

Since he wasn’t a local, there was no “returning the body to the family.” They didn’t even need to ask someone from the church to pray for him. His body would probably be taken to the mass grave in the afternoon, thrown into a random pit, and buried.

A tombstone was out of the question.

The town administration wouldn’t waste a single cent on such a “heinous criminal.”

In any case, with both Silas and Watson dead, this little disturbance officially came to an end.

Although he didn’t know if the two had genuinely intended to harm Bai Ya, Lu Wei felt they deserved to die anyway. He soon put the matter out of his mind.

As for Bai Ya…

Judging by her current state, she didn’t seem to care much either.

It seemed her recent experiences were gradually showing her the “true” side of the world.

Perhaps there weren’t as many kind people as she had imagined.

In that sense, she had grown up a little.

“…”

“Captain, wouldn’t a jack be stronger? Why didn’t you buy a jack?”

“Because jennies are more docile and eat less.”

“I get it! You’re just being cheap!”

“What’s wrong with that? As one of the general store’s employees, I naturally have to consider costs.”

“Tch… By the way, should we give her a name?”

“Absolutely not.”

“Why? Even Hess has a name.”

“Hess is a pet. This is livestock.”

“Livestock? Isn’t she a donkey?”

“Same difference.”

“Hmph, you’re speaking nonsense again…”

An hour later, the two of them first went to the carpenter’s shop and bought a slightly old but still sturdy flatbed cart for 3 silver and 30 copper coins.

Then, on their way, they stopped by a farm outside of town and used the cart to haul back two large bundles of hay and a few sacks of bran.

On the way back to the small cabin, Bai Ya kept talking about naming the donkey.

Lu Wei couldn’t be bothered with her, letting her chatter on while he mulled over his “Equipment blind box” idea.

The prize issue was relatively easy to solve.

He had already picked up some junk Equipment from the Black Market that morning. Combined with the portion of the loot he had deliberately held back from selling, his prize reserves were more than sufficient.

According to Lu Wei’s plan, he would temporarily divide the prizes into four tiers: Ordinary, Rare, Extraordinary, and Legendary.

He would profit from the Ordinary and Rare ones.

The “Extraordinary” tier would result in a small loss.

“Legendary” would be a major loss.

Of course, with something like blind boxes, you had to look at the overall balance. As long as each batch of blind boxes was profitable as a whole, it was fine.

Besides, he could always rig the system.

‘Heh heh, a Legendary Level prize will, of course, only exist in legends.’

‘But for promotion at the beginning, the prize payout rate can’t be set too low.’

‘The main goal for the next few days is to sell out the blind boxes and boost the transaction volume.’

‘I’ll build up a reputation first and finish the quest along the way.’

Thinking this, Lu Wei opened his panel and took another look.

[Earn one hundred Gold Coins through mutually acknowledged, genuine transactions. (67.1/100)]

It had gone up by a little over one since the day before yesterday, which was definitely a contribution from the general store.

‘I wonder how Furen is doing now.’

Thinking of the general store, Lu Wei couldn’t help but think of Furen.

Then his thoughts drifted to Freya.

‘I’ve been back for two days, but there’s still no word from that woman…’

“Captain, look! There’s a carriage up ahead!”

“Wow, it’s so beautiful!”

Suddenly, Bai Ya’s exclamation broke Lu Wei out of his thoughts.

He looked up and, sure enough, a very fancy-looking carriage was parked beside the dirt road leading to their cabin.

The side of the carriage was carved with patterns, and the two horses pulling it had glossy coats.

Even the coachman was wearing gleaming armor… huh?

Isn’t that the Female Holy Knight?

Seeing Cersei, Lu Wei paused for a second, immediately realizing that Freya had come looking for him.

At the same time, Cersei had also seen them.

She immediately walked to the carriage window, bent down slightly, and whispered a few words.

Then she opened the door, set down the footstool, and lifted the curtain…

A white patent leather shoe stepped gently onto the footstool, and Freya emerged from the carriage with her head lowered.

Holding her dress, she moved with such elegance that anyone who didn’t know better would think she was a movie star walking the red carpet.

Although there was still some distance between them, her figure stood out against the backdrop of the open fields—noble, yet understated.

After getting out, she just stood quietly by the carriage, showing no sign of impatience.

‘Hm?’

‘Why does she feel different from before?’

‘But that makes sense. When you’re asking for a favor, you have to lower yourself a bit.’

‘Heh, so the high and mighty young lady is finally willing to bow her head?’

Lu Wei sneered inwardly, unhurriedly leading his donkey cart to a stop in front of Freya.

On one side, a fancy carriage; on the other, a rickety donkey cart.

The contrast couldn’t have been more obvious.

But Lu Wei’s presence was no less imposing. He looked Freya up and down, his gaze finally resting on her gray Cloak.

At that moment, Freya also realized that her outfit was the same color as the donkey.

“…”

A flash of mortification crossed Freya’s eyes, but it vanished in the next second.

A moment later, she silently undid the delicate silver clasp at her collar, took off the Cloak, and revealed a well-tailored white dress underneath.

The dress had little ornamentation, with only simple patterns embroidered in silver thread at the waistline and cuffs, making her golden hair seem all the more dazzling.

“Mr. Lu Wei, I’ve made a fool of myself.”

Freya handed the Cloak to Cersei and gave Lu Wei a slight nod.

“I have something I’d like to discuss with you. Please forgive my presumptuous visit.”

‘Wow, so polite?’

‘She’s really swallowing her pride.’

“Sorry.”

Lu Wei glanced at her and refused flatly. “I don’t have time.”

“…I won’t take long.”

Freya was clearly taken aback, struggling to suppress her anger. “Just half an hour will do.”

“I don’t even have half an hour.”

Lu Wei’s tone was cold. “Some other day.”

“…”

She instinctively pressed her lips together and didn’t respond immediately, looking as if she was about to lose her composure.

Behind her, Cersei’s brows furrowed instantly. She glared at Lu Wei, her silver breastplate reflecting a blinding light.

The atmosphere suddenly froze. The only one oblivious to the tension was Bai Ya, who was still secretly admiring Freya’s dress.

‘So pretty…’

‘It must be expensive.’

‘I want to buy one too.’

‘But won’t it get dirty easily? I probably couldn’t wear it while working.’

‘Wouldn’t it be a hassle to change in and out of it?’

Blinking in confusion, Bai Ya had completely forgotten that noble ladies don’t have to do manual labor.

At this point, Freya finally composed herself and asked again:

“What about tomorrow?”

“Who knows what tomorrow will bring.”

Lu Wei still looked completely unconcerned. “In short, I’ll come find you whenever I’m free.”

“…Fine. I’ll wait for you.”

Freya fell silent for a moment, looking him in the eye.

“But can I ask one thing first?”

“Go ahead.”

“Is Furen safe right now?”

“He should be.”

“Okay, thank you.”

Nodding, Freya indeed only asked that one question.

But before Lu Wei and Bai Ya left, she spoke one last time in a very serious, even pleading tone:

“Please, come find me as soon as possible. I’m really worried about Furen.”

The sunlight fell on her, and a stray lock of hair swayed gently beside her face, adding a touch of delicate “brokenness” to her appearance.

Plus, Freya was genuinely beautiful.

So at this moment, she really did look like a poor, pitiful sister who couldn’t eat or sleep due to her brother’s “disappearance.”