602 Lord Chaska

In the Great Ratholos Empire, every city and region had a governing lord. Sunrock Bazaar was no exception to this rule.

However, Sunrock Bazaar wasn't governed by just any lord. The one assigned to govern Sunrock Bazaar was a close relative of the great emperor – Chaska Armstrong. He was the third son of Emperor Varan's younger sister, Niabi Armstrong.

If the locals were asked where the lord's residence was, there wouldn't be a single person who didn't know.

That was because Chaska's residence could be easily found on the far east side of the market city, where only the tallest rock pillars were located. In fact, it used seven of the tallest rock pillars in the area for its foundation.

As a result, it also possessed a good overview of Sunrock Bazaar.

Although Chaska's residence looked like a giant treehouse or a wooden ship stranded on steep cliffs and lacked strong defenses, there wasn't anyone bold or vengeful enough to attack it.

After all, it was the lord's residence.

Moreover, Chaska was a kind lord who cared for his people. He had used money out of his own coffers for disaster relief to ease the people's suffering during famine and drought seasons on multiple occasions.

Naturally, this repeated selfless action severely depleted his wealth. However, in return, Chaska quickly earned the love of his people during the short time he was appointed as their lord.

Even if people bypass the residence's weak defense and security and sneak inside, there wouldn't be much for them to steal. On the other hand, if their actions were known, they would easily enrage the people.

However, the thieves would long be dead before the people could even act.

Chaska was kind because people had yet to see his brutal side. No matter what, he was still a lord and the great emperor's nephew. His strength would not be weak, given his background.

At that moment, Lord Chaska was signing off some paperwork with an ink feather pen on the open deck while two female assistants quietly stood guard behind him.

The open deck was his office. The sky was his ceiling, and the afternoon warm breezes were his walls. The stacks of documents on his desk were all pressed down by stone slabs, which prevented them from flying away with the wind.

Such a spot for an office had its inconveniences, and Chaska's two assistants had suggested moving his office indoors on multiple occasions.

However, they were immediately silenced after listening to their lord's response on the matter.

'How could the dull mood of a confined room be compared to the wonderful atmosphere of an open space between heaven and earth?! Inside, I only see numbers and words on a piece of paper. But out here, I see living people and a forward-moving world!'

'The beauty and veracity of life must be seen with one's eyes, not blinded by one's imagination! How can my mind's sword remain sharp if I don't hone it in the fires of life but dull it in the solitary of confined space instead?'

'As a lord, how can I see my people as mere inanimate words on a piece of paper and dictate their lives so? As a warrior, how can my raging desire for self-improvement be shackled by stillness and silence?'

The grandeur in the lord's speech awed them into silence. But at the same time, they simply did not know how to reply to such statements.

They only understood that while the lord was eccentric, he truly cared for the people.

Suddenly, a blue-glowing paper crane flew over from a distance and landed on Chaska's desk before losing its luster and becoming inanimate. Chaska calmly picked it up without a hint of surprise and unfolded the origami.

At the same time, the two female assistants behind him subconsciously craned their necks forward to peek out of curiosity. It was a habit that their lord had long permitted.

There was only one place in Sunrock Bazaar that delivered messages with magic paper cranes. It was the hidden intelligence network operating behind Madam Morning Dew.

The messages delivered by Madam Morning Dew weren't necessarily confidential secrets. They could also be general news or unpopular rumors circulating in the city. In essence, any piece of interesting or suspicious information remaining was handed over to the lord after being filtered.

Even as Sunrock Bazaar's lord, Chaska couldn't demand every piece of information Madam Morning Dew had collected. The person backing it was a behemoth – someone too great that he couldn't afford to offend.

Neither his status as the emperor's nephew nor his strength as a Mid-

level Rank 4 Body Refiner meant anything in front of that person.

"Hm?" Chaska immediately frowned upon reading the first line in the letter.

The content was about a person of interest called Vanderlin Pendragon, who supposedly won over twenty duels and remained undefeated since his entry. His cultivation was suspected to be around Peak-level Rank 3 Body Refiner, but battle power was Low-

level Rank 4 or higher.

As for his aura cultivation, it was unconfirmed due to the current lack of information.

"Pendragon, huh? What a good… Pendragon!" Chaska uttered, gritting his teeth with a gloomy look. The two female assistants were astonished.

They had also finished reading the content, but they never expected their calm lord to have such a strong reaction.

Although they thought it was a little ridiculous that someone with a measly cultivation Rank 4 would carry the family name, Pendragon, that was the extent of it. They simply thought the person was unworthy of such a name. Nothing more, nothing less.

However, it seemed their lord was greatly offended by it, and they couldn't understand why. In fact, even the people working at Madam Morning Dew had no idea Lord Chaska would react so strongly to the information.

"Pen…dragon… Pen…dragon… Pendragon…!" Chaska continued gnashing his teeth as his grip tightened, deforming the letter.

The name didn't mean much to a normal person, but it was a different story for a member of the Blessed Golden Dragon Tribe's five ancient families.

Who dares to call himself a Pendragon before the Armstrong royal family?! Who the hell was this brazen and ignorant person? Does he even know the implication behind such a name?

Pen…dragon… Five dragons… Pendragon… King… Pendragon… King of five dragons… King of the Blessed Golden Dragon Tribe's five ancient families…!

Such insolence!

"I want to see who dares call himself a Pendragon in front of me!" Chaska slammed the table and sprung to his feet.