Chapter 178: Thank You, Donkey

Leon didn’t swagger through the city gates.

The situation within the empire was unclear, and someone who should have been eliminated three years ago suddenly returned. This was bound to cause some unnecessary trouble.

Moreover, General Leon was once hailed as the strongest dragon slayer, so he was somewhat of a celebrity, whether it was widely known might be an exaggeration, but Leon could dine at any restaurant in the empire back then and get a free meal with just his handsome face.

Occasionally, he would even receive flirty glances from the still-charming proprietresses. Bah, bah, bah, a man with a wife and children shouldn’t think about such messy things anymore— at least he had to pay for meals at restaurants!

So, he had to sneak in secretly. Leon hid in the shadows, waiting for the right moment.

At dawn, Leon finally seized his chance. He blended in with a caravan doing business in the empire and slipped in unnoticed.

The empire’s security guards at the gate were still as lazy as ever, barely inspecting the caravan’s wagons, merely giving them a cursory glance without thorough searching.

Leon, relying on his astonishing core strength, clung to the underside of a wagon as he thought. After smoothly passing through the empire’s gates and walking a few streets, Leon climbed up from under the wagon and slipped into its cargo hold.

The cargo hold was filled with goods that this group of merchants intended to sell in the empire, mostly small trinkets and accessories favored by young people.

The empire was vast in territory and rich in resources, serving as the core kingdom of humanity. The surrounding affiliated neighboring countries also relied on the empire as their big brother.

Whether it was doing business or being bullied by foreigners outside, they would come to seek the big brother’s help. Of course, big brother didn’t help for free; he occasionally demanded protection fees.

The younger brothers are naturally willing too. Offering a bit of gold, treasures, and beautiful women every year ensures smooth sailing for the next year, with no foreign forces daring to invade. This is the confidence the empire gives me!

Leon sat in the wagon’s cargo hold, peering outside through the cracks between the wooden boards. The streets were bustling with people, still as lively as ever.

Leon sighed inwardly; three years had passed, yet the empire was still bustling as before. After traversing a few more streets, Leon quietly slipped down from the wagon. Before leaving, he grabbed a pair of sunglasses.

Celebrities always had to wear sunglasses when they went out, especially a “dead” celebrity like himself.

Leon stood on the street, surveying his surroundings. After confirming that no one was secretly watching him, he strode towards a nearby alley. He planned to first visit his master’s farm.

Although the master was probably not there, Leon wanted to try his luck. Who knew if his master had left behind any useful information or other clues?

He entered the alley, hands in his pockets, nodding his head, walking briskly. However, before he could take a few steps, the corner of Leon’s eye caught sight of several conspicuous notices on the alley wall.

Leon halted, glancing sideways, then slightly widened his eyes. Those weren’t just notices; they were clearly the empire’s… wanted posters— the highest level of wanted posters, red-level!

The wanted poster featured none other than his master, Teg Lawrence.

“How did my master become a wanted criminal?!”

Donkey, the old man, had never even harmed a fly in his life. He always sought permission from his wife before doing anything, even smoking a cigarette. How could he suddenly become a wanted criminal?

Leon stood there dumbfounded for a moment, trying to process this information. His expression turned grave.

The empire indeed seemed as prosperous as before, but beneath this facade of prosperity, dark currents were already flowing.

Leon reached out, tore down the wanted poster from the wall, crumpled it into a ball, and stuffed it into his pocket. He then immediately left the place.

An hour later, Leon arrived at his master’s farm, his home from years ago.

Naturally, the farm of a wanted criminal had been sealed off. Several large seals were stuck on the gate. Looking into the courtyard, it was already desolate and abandoned.

After confirming that the neighbors were not at home, Leon flipped over the fence, crossed the gravel path, and headed towards the wooden house on the other side of the farm.

The wooden house was dilapidated, with one side of the roof collapsed and the windows shattered as if someone had thrown stones at them.

Leon circled the house first, not finding any traps, then he climbed into the house through the broken window. As his feet touched the ground, the floor creaked, stirring up dust.

Leon waved his hand in front of his nose to clear the dust and began to inspect the familiar house.

The living room, kitchen, bedroom—all were in a state of disrepair, not resembling a place where anyone had lived recently. At the same time, there were no clues or information left by his master.

Leon sighed, muttering to himself, “Could the old guy have forgotten that yesterday was exactly one year since our agreement?”

The reason Leon believed that his master might have left him a clue was because since the one-year agreement was set by his master, the time had come, and naturally, his master would find a way to contact Leon or convey some information.

Since his master wasn’t in the mountain ravine cave where he initially hid, the only possibility was that he left some clues at their old home on the farm.

However, there was nothing there. Just as Leon was about to leave disappointedly, he suddenly remembered that he hadn’t checked the hayloft in the backyard. With the thought of giving it a try, Leon headed to the backyard hayloft.

Originally used to store grain and firewood, the hayloft was also where the donkey used to stay—yes, in Leon’s home, the donkey not only had a place to stay but also lived in the hayloft. It was like letting a 200-pound fat guy live in an all-you-can-eat buffet.

Leon meticulously searched the hayloft, dust clouding his eyes and tickling his nose. But fortunately, this time he didn’t come up empty-handed.

Finally, beneath the pile of hay where the donkey had once rested, Leon found the clue left by his master.

“Donkey, love you!”

The clue was written on an old piece of cloth, indicating that his master’s current situation was indeed dire if he couldn’t even find a piece of paper.

Leon opened the cloth, and the writing on it looked like it was scratched with red brick—not only was there no paper, but there wasn’t even a pen.

Terrible, Master, terrible.

The content on the cloth was concise:

“Rebecca is trustworthy.”

“Rebecca…”

When Leon saw this name, memories were stirred up. Rebecca Clement, she was the female gunner in his team. A chatterbox, a bit of a neurotic girl.

During the war, he and the other two teammates could completely entrust the flanks to Rebecca. Her fire support was always timely, and her shooting performance ranked among the best in the entire Dragon Slayer Army.

At the same time, she had a bit of “innate power.”

Despite her petite stature, she could skillfully handle various heavy firearms, which puzzled Leon. That completely defied biology!

Oh, you say General Leon single-handedly defeating a dragon king also defies biology? Well, never mind. Back to the point.

This messy handwriting was indeed his master’s handwriting.

High emotional intelligence: Uninhibited, somewhat sloppy.

Low emotional intelligence: What the hell is this scribble?

If it weren’t for being his disciple since childhood, others might have had a hard time understanding it.

“Rebecca is trustworthy… Does this mean the Master already knew about me being framed by the mole back then?”

After some thought, Leon wasn’t too sure about this speculation.

If Rosvitha had mentioned the betrayal to his master when they first met, then his master must have known about it and spent the past year secretly investigating his other teammates.

But if Rosvitha hadn’t mentioned it, then his master leaving this message might have been just to provide Leon with a foothold upon his return to the empire.

No matter what—

Leon looked at the familiar name on the cloth.

He had to go see his gunner and find out what was going on.