It was late in the afternoon when the west-bound group arrived in the vicinity of Vismont Village.
The familiar wall was there, and it was as ugly as ever.
Among the group of nearly a hundred or so people, a certain trio couldn't help but huddle together for a discussion.
"Afraid?" Crow uttered, dark eyes staring at the level 2 fence in front of him. They knew very well what they were set here to do would rouse ire from the higher-ups of this territory.
It was difficult to believe that a few days ago, they were being bullied so harshly simply for speaking out.
But now? They came back to bully it in turn.
This was the power of having a backer.
Dog pompously scoffed at his question, but his shaking knees gave him away. "We have Rowan here."
Sunny looked a little worried. "What if that guy hires NPCs too?"
"Last time the village center was only one floor…" Dog said, but his voice was a bit quieter than before. "...he probably… can't…?"
"How long ago was that? So much could happen."
The group chatted as they approached the gate. Their eyes were soon met with the sight of quiescent guards lounging about. They were lazy in their stance, uninspired with their jobs, and someone was even carelessly sitting down and eating fruit while slowly falling asleep.
However, the arrival of their group made enough noise that it woke up every one of the guards.
Their group was not too big compared to the refugees who immigrated from fallen villages, but they were not small either.
Seeing Crow, Dog, and Sunny, the eyes of a few guards narrowed.
"You look a bit familiar."
They did not deliberately hide their identities, one was for pride, and the other was they had no way: Fabric was still expensive and they couldn't make mystery robes.
"Well, we lived here before."
The guards sneered, looking at them smugly. "Oh? You like living in the wild, then?"
This guy obviously looked up to this territory so much that he didn't think there'd be any better situation outside of it.
He did not even notice their clean skin and clothes. Neither did he see their healthy complexions.
However, he did see the items they were carrying. "What're in the bags?"
"Resources we're trying to sell," Crow said blandly, implying it was just wood and stone as anyone else would think. After all, bluntly lying to this 'customs officer' and getting discovered would definitely get them in a lot more trouble than it was worth.
Most of the guards scoffed in distaste and were about to let them pass. However, someone had a very good nose and got a whiff of the supposedly scentless food inside.
It put Dog's name to shame.
"Wait!" He said, trudging in front of them. He had a large belly, an amazing thing considering the state of food when they left. He sniffed at Sunny's backpack, sending goosebumps. Dog frowned and pulled her closer to him.
The guard did not notice this exchange, his attention was completely on the bags. "Oh? Smells good. Let me see." He looked curious, extending his grubby hands to the nearest bag, his tone non-negotiable.
They frowned but had no choice but to show. Sunny reluctantly opened the backpack, revealing a lightbox containing the lightest food that was most practical to carry: Biscuits.
They didn't look very special by Terran standards, but it was enough to make the guards widen their eyes and drool.
"Yoooo—"
"Bloody hail!"
"B-Biscuits?!"
When they saw everyone was carrying a flimsy cotton backpack, their eyes sparkled.
They didn't even think of asking where it came from but just looked at them greedily.
So many days of that horrendous food must have gotten to their brains.
The Alterans frowned at the sight of their greedy faces. This was not the type of 'hype' they had hoped to receive.
The guards cheered as they looked at the bags of the other people. It was as if it was already theirs.
"Wow! Jerky!"
"Shit, is this instant noodles?! Why do you have so many?"
"Soft bread!"
"This is rice cakes! Holy cow!"
Then the leader, a bulky man who went by the name of Brong, couldn't help narrowing his eyes at the odd group. "They must have more in their space."
This made everyone frown even deeper. A few were even prepared to start fighting.
Then, letting the tense air ferment, Brungo grinned, showing his ugly golden teeth. "But we are not corrupt people. Things in people's space stay in people's space."
However, before their team could heave a sigh, Brungo smiled and looked at them, tone as if he was giving them alms. "We are good guards, and we will only require what you hold right now."
His subordinates grinned, arrogantly stepping forward to near their harvest. "You'll need to leave this here to enter." He said with an unquestionable tone.
Dog, Sunny, and more immediately went to mother hen mode to protect their stuff. But the more composed ones managed to calm them down.
It was Crow who stepped forward to talk it over. He addressed Brungo, being the leader and all. "We can indeed give them to you," Crow started, earning the shocked gazes of his friends.
He raised his hand to stop them from speaking. "But we don't have to pay the temporary fees and accommodation for a week. And you will still have to give us a few gold up front. That is their value."
A guard sneered. "Are you stupi—"
"Are you willing? Or do we make a scene, calling the Lord for hiring gangsters as guards?" Crow cut him off with a threat, trying to keep his stance confident.
He wasn't even lying. These bastards really were gangsters.
The gangster guards were triggered and glared. Some were indeed worried, while others were just aggressive.
These people stepped forward to grab Crow but a pair of hands appeared in front of them, holding the two men down.
The two were a little startled, not yet absorbing how effortlessly they were both stopped by a hand and glared at its owner.
"Who are you?" The bigger one asked, and was a little startled at the man's look: He was a lot taller than they were, more muscular, and he had unusual crimson-colored hair and eyes.
"We don't want trouble," The mysterious red-haired man said.
"Then pay up!" The guards said, saliva splattering on their faces. Rowan's face darkened, and even his subordinates shivered.
Fortunately for the Vismont guards, Rowan had a calm personality despite his turbulent element.
"We did mention our terms." Calmly, Rowan simply repeated their conditions. "If you cannot pay for it, then do not ask for it."
This naturally angered the guards, who yelled at him in turn. "You don't tell me what to do—OUCH!"
Rowan placed the appropriate amount of force to restrict them and make them feel a little pain.
Primarily, it was to stop them from speaking and splatter saliva all over him.
The two men paled when they realized they couldn't move an inch. They raised their eyes to meet the terrifying odd-colored eyes of the man. Who still wore contact lenses at this juncture? Still red ones?
More importantly, why was he so strong?
As guards, many of them were level 3 already, but they had no chance against this guy!
"Are you letting us pass or not?" Rowan asked with a calm tone, but the pressure of his grip was gradually getting stronger.
"Fine, fine!!" The men squeaked like slaughtered Gugu birds. "We'll let you go, let you go!"
Rowan scoffed and released his grip.
The sudden loss of holding force and the pain drove the two aggressive guards to their knees.
Rowan then motioned for the group to step towards the interior of the territory. Seeing that the guards were not moving, he nodded and also turned away.
However, certain guards were not reconciled. Together, they sprinted towards his back, aiming to destroy his spinal cord.
They gave evil smirks as their feet approached the redhead's back, but suddenly he disappeared in front of them.
Things happened quickly. The next thing they knew huge hands landed on their faces and pushed them down back first on the ground.
Bang!
"What??"
They couldn't even fathom what just happened when they realized things didn't even end there.
A moment later they felt their skin heating up, and they soon realized that their faces felt like it was burning.
"AHGGHHHH!!!!"
"WHAT THE HECK AHHHHH!!!"
Rowan took off his hand, leaving pinkish handprints on their faces.
He abruptly lunged at Brungo, hitting him on the leg, forcing the man to kneel down in front of him.
Rowan's instincts told him the two were ordered, and he would not let this man go without a warning.
"You should control your own people," he told them, voice deep and heavy. "Because you will also get blamed for the troubles they cause."
"You!!" The man gasped, pale from the pain. He gritted his teeth and glared, but fear was evident in his eyes.
Rowan looked down at the kneeling figure, sneering. "No wonder they were so weak, their leader is disgusting.
"Be thankful I just heated up their faces.
"Next time…" He paused, red eyes even more menacing than before. "It will really… burn."