Chapter 98 098

"If you wish, I can relinquish my title. However, you will need to present some results to His Majesty, correct? I can also assist with that," Oldman said with a kind smile.

"So, how about satisfying this old man's curiosity?"

"By curiosity… you mean…?"

"Who will be the new lord of this land?"

Seojin simply stared at Oldman's wrinkled face as he hadn't expected that kind of reaction. He could only read pure curiosity as if he didn't give a damn about his own safety.

"That decision will be made by His Majesty," Seojin replied.

"You have a good attitude, knowing where your responsibility begins and ends," Oldman complimented.

"Do you have any regrets about your estate?" Seojin asked.

"None," Oldman answered confidently.

"It's only a shame that I won't be able to see the future of this land. It has been tamed and can be easily cultivated by anyone sincere enough, unlike in the past."

"Was this land originally unclaimed?" Seojin inquired.

"Yes, His Highness ordered me to find an oasis and build a city next to it. That was the beginning of Shahav."

A system message popped up as Oldman explained.

Encountered key NPC: Lord of Shahav - Oldman.

Information updated: pioneer Lord of the Desert. He is respected by the people, and known to act out for his estate more than anything.

Seojin sat back down and met Oldman's gaze.

"My Lord, I would like to learn more about this place."

"That's like an old man boasting about his past glory…"

"You'll hear my story, too. Aren't you curious?"

Oldman only smiled faintly in response. Taming the desert was no easy feat – no one would willingly come to such a barren wasteland, and resources were scarce. The lack of supplies and manpower made it difficult to cultivate the land, and the inhospitable environment deterred people from settling there. It was a vicious cycle.

Back then, in Oldman's darkest days, Ironblood came.

"They promised all sorts of support," he explained,"starting out is always the hardest, and Ironblood promised to help us succeed in Shahav."

With Ironblood' assistance, the facilities were improved and the area was protected. Robert promoted the estate and brought in new residents to the once-abandoned facilities.

"He also mentioned something about the Sea of Information. As an adventurer, you may be familiar with it," Oldman added.

From then on, things only got better. There was enough manpower and supplies, and the estate continued to expand on its own without the need for Ironblood' intervention.

"What did they ask for in exchange?"

"Not much. They took what was supposed to belong to His Majesty, but their demands didn't harm my people's well-being. They weren't being greedy."

To Seojin's surprise, Ironblood only requested thirty percent of the estate's income. That seemed modest considering they had practically built up the estate from scratch.

'Although it may have seemed like a wise investment, Ironblood wouldn't just stop there.'

There must have been another motive, and Shahav was likely involved in it.

'That thirty percent is probably just a facade, and it might also benefit them when it comes to light.'

The crucial point was that the good lord was indebted to Ironblood, regardless of their true intentions.

"So, you're in debt to Ironblood."

"Yes, we wouldn't be thriving like this if it weren't for them. That's all I wanted, and now I can leave peacefully."

That was the source of his serenity. To Seojin's surprise, Oldman Shahav was a man of integrity.

"I wanted to hear your story. Your actions thus far seemed to have a good reason."

"Are you curious about the reason?"

Oldman nodded, as that intention could determine Shahav's fate.

"I'm not an angel. I'm just against Ironblood and trying to minimize collateral damage."

"No one is purely good."

"Let's just say I'm relatively good. I have no intention of overthrowing the lords here, especially not if that lord is like you. Just give me the information related to Ironblood."

"I said I would resign from my position because I can't do that."

"Because you're indebted to them?"

"Shahav received irreplaceable assistance regardless of their intentions. You have your reasons, and I have a value that I must protect."

Oldman Shahav was not foolish enough to believe that Ironblood were a charity, but he had a rule of iron to remain impartial. It wasn't out of goodwill either.

"Humans tend to become angry when they feel their efforts are not recognized. Anger breeds irrational revenge, and Shahav cannot defend itself against the wrath of Ironblood."

"The same thing will happen if the name of this place changes."

"There's a significant difference between the inevitable and not resisting. Don't you know that?"

Seojin leaned back slightly, understanding exactly what Oldman meant.

'Yeah, we might get the same result, but the paths we take will be very different.'

Seojin knew that if he forcibly removed Ironblood from the estate alone, it wouldn't look the same as being aided by Lord Shahav.

'Doesn't he care about how this will all end?' Seojin wondered.

He knew that Oldman was known for caring about his estate, but the system never confirmed whether it was in his true nature.

'But if it is his true self…'

Then the old lord's plan would be like this: The Ironlbloods would lose all connections with Shahave if Seojin forcefully removes the lord from Shahav, which means the estate would be set free from a ticking time bomb named Ironblood.

"You see this as an opportunity…"

"An opportunity for this land."

"Understood. You said that you owe a debt to Ironblood and you have to pay it."

"Yes, that's right."

"What about things unrelated to Ironblood? Can you help me with those things?"

"Why would you need my help with those?"

"My purpose was never just Ironblood, and I've already let them know that I was headed here," Seojin explained.

The old lord's expression changed subtly, showing a mixture of interest and concern.

"Is that so?" he asked.

"I'm sure they've already hidden the key things. Ironblood have no weakness in Shahav," Seojin said.

"What a shame," Oldman replied.

"It will be a good deal. I can meet your needs, and Shahav will no longer have any dirty secrets behind it. I can get what I want and leave."

Seojin had to get what he could first, and he knew that pushing Oldman too far wouldn't be helpful at all.

"What do you want?"

First things first, he had to think of an offer that Oldman couldn't refuse.

"I want to hear about how Shahav was before Ironblood, and…"

Seojin glanced at the entrance to the waiting room once.

"I must win this duel, but it's normally impossible. People should at least THINK that I won."

The old man in front of him would have a significant role in helping him defeat the honorbound champion without force. Oldman Shahav nodded before he left.

"I'll persuade him."

And after a moment…

Main Quest: Battle for Champion! completed.

Along with the message, horns rang throughout Shahav to signal the challenger's victory.

* * *

"What's taking so long?"

Maya anxiously looked towards the Arena of Glory, thinking that the match should have ended by now.

'Is he really standing toe to toe with Lampert? That's impossible. His tricks shouldn't be able to make the game drag on like this.'

Maya thought that he would either fail to use his skills and lose after one blow, or he would succeed and make Lampert resign, either way, the match would end quickly.

"Why is it taking this long?" Maya wondered, before hearing an impossible sound.

Bbam, bbaaaam! Bbam bbam bam bam bam!

Maya's jaw dropped as the magnificent sound of horns echoed throughout Shahav.

'He won? That rookie beat the champion, Lampert?'

Maya still thought it was impossible, and the people surrounding her also seemed surprised.

"He beat the champion? Really?" one player asked, while another said,

"Maybe he cheated."

With that, a third player chimed in and said,"how could he cheat in a fair fight against the champion?"

"Wow, he must have spent a fortune on his equipment. Lucky guy."

Maya looked around at the adventurers who had the same reaction as her.

'He must have used some kind of trick!'

Maya had cast mental protection on Lampert, and she couldn't think of any normal way that Seojin could have won against the champion.

'But surely the lord must have noticed something. I'll find out what kind of tricks he's using…'

Oldman was a pioneer lord and skilled warrior, who drenched his sword in his enemies' blood back in his prime, and Maya expected a reasonable analysis from him.

'I hope my instincts are wrong.'

If Seojin's power was related to darkness, then the bet would be nullified. However, when Maya met Oldman and Lampert at the backdoor, their expressions looked more complex than she expected. Maya ran to the lord to find out more.