Don't move, it's a robbery!

I am unaware of the chaos in the city. In fact, apart from going to the council to get some food, I haven't been back to Linde City yet.

Lately, I've been living near a waterfall. It's not that I have any hobby of wilderness survival, but rather that the day 'West Copper' delivers my gift is approaching. When 'West Copper' delivers my gift, it always causes a commotion, so to avoid attracting attention, I always hide in the mountains during this time to prevent attracting any ill-intentioned people.

Of course, even though I'm hiding, I still need to eat properly. I can rely on food pills to solve my staple food problem, but I will still go hunting to supplement my meat intake.

As Xi Tong once said, humans are the most adaptable animals to their environment. They live off the land and water. I think that's a bit of a stereotype, since I am a human being myself. I can accept living off water, but living off mountains is a bit much.

However, for tonight's dinner, I'm really going to make the most of my location – living off the land and water.

First, find some clean stones washed by the river under the waterfall. Then, put these stones over a fire to heat them. Next, remove the scales and entrails from the fish you caught, cut them into several pieces, rub them with salt, and place them on the heated stones, turning them over from time to time until they are thoroughly cooked.

Then pour the pure waterfall water from upstream into the pot, chop up the mushrooms and turnips found in the mountains, and add them along with a little flour and seasonings. Then use tongs to remove the stones used for grilling fish and put them into the pot. Cover the pot and wait until the boiling sound stops before opening the lid and adding new stones.

The grilled fish on the stone slab and the stewed vegetables on the hot stone are now ready.

"Today was another fulfilling day."

The aroma of the food filled me with immense satisfaction, but just as I was about to start cooking, a strange feeling alerted me.

Someone is watching me.

I looked in the direction from which the gaze came, but could only see a swaying black shadow. It seemed that the other party was quite far away from me.

Could he be an archer, looking for a good spot to aim?

"How annoying, it's mealtime right now."

I hate it when people disturb me while I'm eating!

I was a little angry. In order to get it over with quickly, I took out a pill made from the liver of a three-tailed eagle and the eyes of an ogre, opened my mouth and swallowed it. With a feeling of nausea, my vision gradually changed.

The dark forest gradually brightened, and the distant hills seemed to be within reach. At the same time, all moving objects around them began to slow down, and their movements could be seen with just a casual glance.

That way, you won't have to worry about being ambushed.

I looked at the person hiding in the shadows. Although she was well hidden, she was now completely exposed to me.

However, after I saw what this guy looked like, I was immediately disappointed, because this guy who suddenly appeared in my secret base was actually Tina.

This girl is a real handful; if you get involved with her, you're likely to get into trouble. So ever since I knocked her out near the Forest Witch's hut, I haven't bothered with her anymore.

I initially thought she had already returned to her country, but I didn't expect her to still be here, and even contact me again. I quietly crept over to see what she was doing, but before I got close, I noticed there were two more people with her.

Hey, aren't these the two banshees we saw at the Forest Witch's Hut before?

It seems that Tina has been controlled by them.

Tina truly lives up to her reputation as the princess's daughter; she's always been good at getting caught. This is the umpteenth time she's done this since I first met her.

I couldn't help but click my tongue, and then I picked up the stick and went up.

"Thump!"

"Thump!"

With two crisp sounds, the two banshees fell to the ground.

In the instant they lost consciousness, their skin gradually turned blue from its normal color, but the color of their hair began to fade, and their appearance became strange. However, compared to the old age of the forest witches, they still retained the appearance of young women.

Tina drew her weapon and turned around abruptly. Upon realizing it was me, she quickly covered her head.

"It's you again! Why are you following us?"

"What do you mean I'm following you? Wait, are you conscious? Aren't you being controlled by them?"

"Of course not! Neither of them can seduce women."

Ten minutes later, Tina and two succubi arrived near the waterfall and devoured the stone-grilled fish and hot stone stew I had just prepared. According to Tina, the three of them hadn't had a proper meal for several days.

Tina had brought some dry rations with her, otherwise she wouldn't have been able to escape for so many days. She originally had some left over, but unfortunately, all her belongings were taken away during her captivity.

Because of the hefty bounty on her head, Tina dared not go to crowded places. Her practical skills were also quite poor, and whether she was hunting or gathering wild fruits, she basically had zero harvest. She was able to survive until now thanks to the two banshees who shared some food with her.

As for how Tina ended up with the two banshees, it all started when I knocked her unconscious.

After I knocked Tina unconscious, I left her by the tree and ignored her. When she woke up, she found that the two banshees who had left had returned to her side.

At first, Tina thought they were going to eat her, but she soon realized that the two guys were actually taking care of her.

Yes, I don't know why, but those two female demons were really good to her. When they saw her injured, they would find her herbs and food. When they encountered danger, they would run away with her. They were very united and friendly.

"Don't let their non-human nature fool you; they are kind-hearted at heart!"

"So, you weren't captured by a monster, but rather you're being kept by one? Are you sure they're not just using you as backup food?"

"Of course not! They've been eating wild fruits these past few days, and have hardly eaten any meat. They're doing well!"

"Um, is it possible that, like you, they haven't been able to eat meat because they don't know how to hunt?"

Tina ignored my advice and insisted that both banshees were innocent. I couldn't be bothered to argue with her, so once they had eaten and drunk their fill, I prepared to send them away.

However, Tina refused to leave and pleaded with me as if I were her lifeline.

"Wait, can you help me get to Lars? To get from Linde City to Lars, I either have to go through Asalich or through the city-state of Balbo. I'm wanted by the authorities now, and I need someone to help me get out of here."

"When you get to Lars, my father will pay you a large sum of money."

Tina's idea was good, but a problem arose.

She has a bounty, so why shouldn't I?

LOL, my bounty isn't much lower than yours.

(ᖛ̫ᖛ): "Your bounty is less than a tenth of theirs, and you have the nerve to say it's not much lower."

When I refused, Tina wasn't discouraged and instead made another request.

"Want me to help you find your father's subordinates?"

"Yes, he's in the no-man's-land of Linde City. I infiltrated Linde City to find him, but when I got there, I found he had moved. You're so familiar with Linde City, could you help me find him?"

"Does he have any distinctive features, such as his preferred pseudonyms or strange quirks?"

"Yes, he raises a lot of pigeons."

Hmm, that sounds familiar, kind of like one of my old neighbors.

"I've never heard of such a person before."

Tina was a little disappointed, but she quickly cheered up.

"Could you help me find another one?"

"No, just how many spies did your father plant in Linde City?"

"There aren't many, just two, and the one I'm talking about now has been out of contact for a long time, so I don't know if she's still alive."

"Alright, who's this one this time?"

Tina said she didn't know the other person's name, only that she was a woman, and quite old, but nothing else. However, Lars's spies usually used special symbols to identify themselves; for example, the man who kept pigeons mentioned earlier had a special symbol tattoo on his body.

Tina picked up a piece of charcoal and began to draw on the stone, soon creating a strange pattern.

Hmm, it looks familiar. I think I've seen it somewhere before.

"Alright, I can keep an eye out for you, but don't stay out in the wilderness. Come with me into the city."

"Really? Thank you!"

"It's nothing, just remember to pay me 10,000 gold coins as a reward after you find the person."

"Ah? Oh! Okay, okay, I have money. My father has money. As long as I can be sent to Lars, the payment is absolutely no problem."

After getting the details from Tina, I took out another piece of animal skin and asked her to draw the runes again. Then I led Tina and the two banshees to the no-man's-land.

What? Someone said that the no-man's-land is so chaotic, will Tina be captured again?

It's okay, I've arranged a reliable roommate for her.

"Right, my dear neighbor, I knew you'd agree."

I stood in the yard and proudly introduced my neighbor, Tusasha, to Tina. Although I kept praising her for being beautiful, kind-hearted, and helpful, she didn't seem to care.

"Why did I let her stay here? And my name is Tulisa..." (whispering)

"Huh? When did you change your name?"

Tulisa seemed a little unhappy about the arrival of her new roommate, but whether she was happy or not didn't matter; as long as I was happy, that was all that mattered.

Of course, I'm not heartless. After all, we've been neighbors for so long, and I still have feelings for her. I couldn't just give her a direct and forceful order, so I could only patiently coax, uh, I mean, persuade her.

"Haven't you always longed for high society? The opportunity is right in front of you! Tina is of royal blood; her mother is Princess Lars. If you help her, you'll never have to worry about not being able to get into high society again!"

"But I'm just a lowly vampire. Are you sure she'll be grateful, or that she'll kill me afterward?"

"No, others might, but Tina just likes non-human, uh, I mean weird creatures like you. Look at those two banshees with her, they're so close!"

"Really?"

"Of course! When have I ever lied to you!"

"You said last time that if I helped you catch someone, you'd make me a citizen of Linde City..."

Although the female neighbor continued to complain, her attitude towards Tina improved considerably, even to the point of being somewhat subservient.

By the way, Tina is royalty. Although she is foreign royalty, she still commands genuine respect from her female neighbor who comes from a commoner background. Tina accepts this change in status with a clear conscience, and even gives me the feeling that it is her due.

Not only that, she even glanced at me with a hint of anticipation, as if hoping that I would also show some respect for her noble lineage.

"What's wrong? Is your head itchy?"

"Uh, no."