My mom is waiting for treatment, and you're summoning me to be a hero?

The name is Beicheng, and the name is the City Lord's Mansion.

The once solemn and majestic official residence is now like a broken beehive, filled with noise and chaos.

The spacious forecourt was densely packed with ornately decorated carriages.

Men and women dressed in fine clothes, adorned in silks and satins, gathered in small groups.

His face was filled with anxiety and dissatisfaction.

They were prominent wealthy merchants and heads of powerful families in the northern part of the city.

The clamor of discussion nearly lifted the roof off:

"What does Lord Liu mean by this?! 'Wartime conscription'? What war?!"

"All the essence and alchemical equipment stored in my warehouse, along with a batch of top-grade healing herbs that just arrived, were completely emptied by those thugs! They didn't even leave a decent note!"

"My family had the same thing! They said it was a 'temporary loan,' but there wasn't even a written IOU! What's the difference between this and outright robbery?!"

"And that bounty poster! Information on Beastmasters level 30 and above? Are you kidding me! Is that something you can just ask around about? It's causing panic throughout the city and beyond, and the Adventurers' Guild is practically in an uproar!"

"The most outrageous thing is that they're recruiting alchemists! Master Liu is a special appointee of our Chamber of Commerce! He was taken away by the guards of the City Lord's Mansion yesterday! Now we haven't heard from him at all! What is Liu Sanguan trying to do?!"

"No! We must get an explanation from City Lord Liu today!"

"Yes! Make him come out! Give us an explanation!"

……

The sentiment is indignant.

Several hot-tempered guild leaders were already directing their guards to attempt to storm the inner palace gates.

They shoved and confronted the city lord's guards who blocked their way, shouting and cursing incessantly.

Although the guards were fully armed, they dared not actually use force in the face of so many prominent figures, and could only barely maintain their defensive line.

Sweat beaded on his forehead, and his eyes darted around.

The atmosphere inside the city lord's mansion was equally eerie.

The once luxurious study belonging to Liu Sanguan was now a mess. Various documents, account books, jewels, and magical materials were piled up everywhere.

Liu Sanguan, controlled by Ottomu, was awkwardly squatting in front of an open treasure chest, carefully counting the glittering gold coins inside.

"One, two, three... Oh dear, things are all messed up again!"

Otmu scratched his wooden head in frustration, making a creaking sound.

Such meticulous inventory and management work is really asking too much of us.

It could only follow Lin Mo's orders and gather together everything that looked valuable and useful.

The deafening noise from outside made it even more agitated.

It glanced at the dense crowd outside through the crack in the window and shrank back.

"Oh no, oh no, the boss didn't say it would turn into something this big, and why hasn't he come yet? These people are probably going to break in and tear me apart for firewood..."

It tried to control Liu Sanguan's flesh and blood puppet to go out and say a few words to stabilize the situation.

However, the current control is insufficient, so Liu Sanguan can only speak simple words.

Faced with such a complex situation and sharp questions, going out would likely expose their true colors immediately.

"Liu Sanguan! Get out here!"

"Give us an explanation!"

"Otherwise, this isn't over!"

……

The commotion outside grew louder and louder, and the guards of several noble families had already clashed with the gatekeepers. The situation was on the verge of spiraling out of control.

Just then, a loud and arrogant voice broke through the noise:

"Everyone! Please be quiet!"

The crowd quieted down slightly and looked at the speaker.

He was a middle-aged man wearing a purple-gold silk robe and sporting a meticulously trimmed beard.

He was holding a cane inlaid with a huge sapphire.

He is Qian Wanguan, the president of "Zijinge", the largest chamber of commerce in the northern city.

He had dealings with many nobles in the empire, and even Liu Sanguan usually gave him some face.

Qian Wanguan strolled to the front of the crowd and tapped the ground with his cane.

His gaze swept over the guards who looked timid, and a condescending sneer appeared on his face.

"Since Lord Liu refuses to show himself, it's because he's guilty! All that talk about demonic activity and large-scale military suppression is just an excuse! He simply wants to seize the wealth our families have accumulated over the years!"

He paused, then raised his voice even higher, becoming increasingly inflammatory.

"Gentlemen! Liu Sanguan's actions have deviated from the ways of a city lord; how is he any different from a bandit?! If we back down today, he will only become more ruthless tomorrow, devouring our entire fortunes until nothing is left! In my opinion, we should storm into the city lord's mansion today and confront him directly! Let's see if Liu Sanguan truly has the guts to oppose the entire city's gentry!"

"President Qian is right!"

"Break in!"

"We demand an explanation!"

……

Incited by Qian Wanguan, the already angry crowd erupted once again.

Many guards had already drawn their weapons and were pressing closer and closer to the inner gate.

The captain of the guards at the gate turned pale and retreated repeatedly, almost ordering a retreat.

Inside the study, Ottmu paced anxiously, his wooden joints creaking: "It's over, it's over, they're really going to break in! Boss, come back quickly!"

At this critical moment—

A figure appeared silently on the eaves of the inner gate, like a ghost.

A black cloak fluttered slightly in the wind, and a simple black sword was held in his hand.

It was Lin Mo.

Behind him followed Shi Xuan, whose face was solemn and who held a battle sword, and Shi Qin, whose eyes were wary and who held a short sword tightly in her hand.

Lin Mo's gaze swept coldly over the noisy and chaotic crowd below.

Finally, the blame fell on Qian Wanguan, the arrogant man who was inciting the invasion of the government.

He didn't speak.

He simply took one step forward and lightly leaped down from the rooftop, which was several meters high.

It landed silently.

The sudden scene brought the bustling and noisy front courtyard to an instant silence!

All eyes were involuntarily drawn to the suddenly appearing man in black robes.

Qian Wanguan was also taken aback, and then frowned.

Pointing his cane at Lin Mo, he shouted sternly, "Who are you? How dare you trespass into the City Lord's mansion?!"

Lin Mo ignored him and didn't even look at him.

He walked straight ahead, his destination clear—the inner palace gate.

"stop!"

Feeling ignored and embarrassed, Qian Wanguan roared angrily.

At the same time, he gave a wink to the two burly and imposing guards beside him.

"Stop him! Liu Sanguan is hiding his head out; he might have sent this cowardly fellow to get rid of us!"

Two guards stepped forward in response, one on the left and one on the right, their large, fan-like hands grabbing at Lin Mo's shoulders with a gust of wind!

These two were at least level 30, bodyguards hired by Qian Wanguan at great expense.

laugh!laugh!

Two streaks of dark sword light flashed by almost simultaneously.

It's so fast that you can't even see the trajectory.

The two guards who were rushing forward suddenly froze, and a very thin line of blood appeared on their necks at the same time.

Immediately, the two heads rolled to the ground.

The headless corpse, gushing blood, collapsed to the ground with a thud.

Throughout the entire process, Lin Mo's steps did not stop for a single moment.

Quiet.

A deathly silence.

Everyone was stunned by the clean and efficient killing.

The arrogance on Qian Wanguan's face froze instantly, turning into unbelievable horror.

Pointing at Lin Mo, her finger trembled slightly: "You...you dare..."

Lin Mo finally stopped, standing less than three steps away from Qian Wanguan.

He slowly raised his head, and in the shadows beneath his hood, his calm, unwavering eyes looked at Qian Wanguan.

"You're very noisy."

The sound wasn't loud, but it reached everyone's ears clearly, as cold as ice.

Qian Wanguan's pupils contracted; he, who had held a high position for many years, had never been spoken to like that before.

"Arrogant! Do you know who I am?! I am Qian Wanguan, the president of the Purple Gold Pavilion! A viscount of the Empire! You killed my guards, even Liu Sanguan can't protect you! Guards! Seize him!"

He brought with him other guards and several family guards who were on good terms with him, about a dozen people in total.

They surrounded them from all sides, their swords drawn, gleaming coldly.

Lin Mo's gaze then slowly swept over the group of people who had surrounded him.

And behind them, the wealthy merchants and nobles with expressions of surprise, anger, or schadenfreude.

His voice remained flat, yet carried a judgmental indifference:

"It seems you won't understand unless you kill some people."