Don't move, it's a robbery!

After parting ways with Tina, I didn't rush to find someone for her, but instead returned to the waterfall in the suburbs.

Compared to Tina's situation, I'm more concerned about what gift 'West Copper' will give me this year, which is why I insisted on sending Tina and the others to the city.

Tina may be a bit silly, but she's very cute and hasn't done anything wrong, at least not in my opinion. Anyway, I don't want to kill her. But she's always wandering around in the wild. What if she sees something she shouldn't know? Wouldn't I have to silence her?

Now that no one is bothering me, I can receive the gifts in peace.

"Almost there, we'll be there in a few minutes."

I suppressed my excitement, straightened my posture, and sat down next to the tree stump, waiting for this year's gift.

"West Copper, could you tell me in advance what this gift is?"

(‡▼Benefit▼): "I hope it's something good that will send you to hell!"

Hey, my friend likes to keep things mysterious.

Okay, it's only a few minutes, I can wait.

"I'm so excited! I wish I could have a bag that would never be full, so I wouldn't have to bury all my money somewhere. Or I could have a door that would take me anywhere, so I could go wherever I wanted when I went out to rob someone, and I wouldn't have to worry about the distance anymore."

(￢_￢): "Just say what you want to say, don't make wishes to me."

"Time's almost up! It's coming! It's coming!"

Suddenly a white light appeared ahead, and then something whose outline I couldn't see fell out of the void. I was incredibly excited and caught it with a cushion I had prepared beforehand.

It is very lightweight, but quite bulky.

When the light faded, I realized that it seemed to be a strange piece of clothing.

(◑.◑): "This thing is called a cloak, you uncultured guy."

"Oh, right, right, a lot of cult members like to wear this stuff."

I touched the cloak and found it incredibly smooth to the touch, feeling almost weightless, and its texture was so durable that even if I tore it forcefully, it wouldn't...

"Sizzle~"

The cloak ripped.

"Aaaaaah! My new clothes! The quality is terrible! Can I return them?"

(◐.◐): "No."

"Um, wait a minute, why did you turn your eyes away just now? Are you feeling guilty?"

(◐.◐): "No means no."

I was very sad, feeling like I hadn't had a good mood all year, but before I could be sad for long, I discovered that the cloak had actually turned back to its original state.

It can even repair itself!

My mood improved considerably, and I was filled with anticipation for the cloak once again.

"West Copper, what's the use of this cloak?"

(◑.◑): "The Mist Cloak can emit mist to help the wearer hide. In addition, this thing can absorb curses and convert them into its own power. Once you wear it, you will never have to be afraid of those guys who know strange magic again. Just charge forward boldly."

"West Copper" has one advantage: he never lies. But he also has one disadvantage: he tends to forget to say things at crucial moments.

"You mean, if I wear it, I won't be harmed by the curse?"

(◐.◐): "Anyway, it can absorb curses."

Hmm, it seems not.

Well, at least it's a piece of clothing that can repair itself.

I tried it on and then looked at myself in the water. I thought I looked pretty cool. If I went out at night, I could definitely scare a child to tears. I could even run into a cult's headquarters without anyone stopping me.

"I think I'll go to sleep..."

I woke up early the next morning. Although yesterday wasn't very pleasant, today was another day full of energy.

I packed my things, ready to go back to the city to check on the situation, and also to get some food from the council to replenish my supplies.

On the way to the city, I saw a convoy coming from the south.

They must have come to sell spices, because I could smell a lot of pungent odors from a distance. These local specialties from the south are often called "gold that grows from the ground" because their price is basically equivalent to that of gold.

There were quite a few people escorting the caravan, about a dozen professional mercenaries, plus several of the caravan's own guards, and the porters and caretakers, making a total of more than 30 people. I don't have the ability to rob such a large group; it seems I'll have to go into the city and make a proper deal with them.

But just as I was about to leave, I heard some strange noises.

There seemed to be something hiding in the bushes near the road, and quite a few of them.

Oh! Looks like there's someone in the same industry here!

What a perfect opportunity! Another perfect chance for a double-cross!

I happily hid to the side, preparing to wait for the caravan to be ambushed, and then step in to clean up the mess when they were both exhausted.

If the caravan members are sensible, I wouldn't mind saving them once, as long as they give me some spices as payment. If they're not sensible, I wouldn't mind taking more, since spices keep quite well anyway.

But the plot didn't go as I hoped. Suddenly, one of the mercenaries on guard raised his hand, indicating that there was danger ahead.

As he made his move, the others obediently stopped without causing any disturbance.

He's very vigilant and has a lot of authority within the team; he's a good...wait, isn't that Leos?

I rubbed my eyes and checked again, confirming that it was indeed Leos. Not only him, but March and Little One were also in the group, though I hadn't seen them because they had been in the carriage.

Although I think Leos's combat skills are terrible, he seems to be quite prestigious in the eyes of the other mercenaries. Under his arrangement, the team quickly formed a defensive formation.

The bandits hiding in the bushes realized they had been discovered, but before they could decide whether to retreat or launch a full-scale attack, the mercenaries pulled out their crossbows and began firing at them.

Several unfortunate men were shot dead on the spot. The bandit leader realized that the situation was unfavorable to him, so he could only curse and lead his men to retreat.

Believe it or not, there were quite a few of these bandits, nearly 20 in number. No wonder they dared to rob the caravan.

The boring little episode ended quickly, and the caravan set off again without any further mishaps on the way back.

Once they arrived in the city, the caravan owner got off the carriage, seemingly because Little Dot and March had been specifically protecting him.

The man was middle-aged, with a resolute face and dark skin—typical features of a southerner. As soon as he got off the bus, he went to Leos's side, first taking out his payment, then thanking Leos as he paid.

"It seems that hiring you was the right decision. You truly live up to your reputation as the Bells of the Pure Wind. I had heard of your fame before, and now it seems you certainly live up to it. Now that the trade route between Linde City and our city-state is open, trade will become more frequent. I hope we can achieve a long-term cooperation. What do you think?"

"That would be perfect, Mr. Santors."

Santos returned to the carriage and continued onward, escorted by March and Little One. It wasn't until the two of them left that I emerged from the back of the group.

"Hey, Leos."

"Huh? Xia... uh, Agua, what brings you here?"

"Why can't I come? Linde City is my territory now. By the way, are you guys short of money lately? You're taking on missions before your injuries have even fully healed."

I'm not being sarcastic, but Leos's injuries last time were indeed quite serious. Those soldiers were ruthless. I heard that the guy in Leos's team named Galio is still bedridden.

"We definitely need money. March needs to pay off her father's debts, Little Dot wants to expand the orphanage, which also requires a lot of money. Eve needs to buy experimental potions, Galio needs medical expenses, and as for me, I also need to save more."

What do you need?

"Ahem, nothing. By the way, what brings you here now? You're not thinking of robbing a caravan, are you? Hahaha..."

I nodded, indicating that I did have that idea.

"Hahaha...haha...no way! Please! I just signed the contract with them!"

"Just kidding, it's just a little spice, I can't eat that much anyway. I came here to ask for your help."

I took out the animal hide with the symbols engraved on it and handed it to Leos, asking him to investigate it for me.

Leos glanced at it and his brows furrowed.

"What's wrong?"

"It looks familiar, like I've seen it somewhere before."

"You feel the same way? I feel like I've seen it somewhere before, but I just can't remember where."

After pondering for a moment, Leos suddenly seemed to have thought of something, turned the animal hide around, and then snapped his fingers.

"I remember now, that's the design on the pendant Lady Mary was wearing!"

"Who?"

"Mrs. Mary, the old nun who took care of the children at the orphanage."

Hearing Leos's reminder, I remembered that I had indeed met Little Dot once before.

"What do you want with her?"

"Oh, it's nothing, it's just because she's a spy from Lars."

"Huh?! What's going on?"

"It's okay, I'll go now. I'll ask you to go for drinks with me next time."

"No, wait! Explain yourself! Hey!"

Ignoring the shouting Leos, I jogged all the way to the orphanage. To avoid being recognized, I even changed into the cloak that 'West Copper' had just given me, ready to try out the magical functions of the Mist Cloak.

However, before I could release the mist, the color of the cloak began to fade, and even gradually became transparent.

The fog can still be placed, but it will still be transparent.

This offers absolutely no cover!

"Hey, Xitong, what's going on? Why did it turn out like this?"

(˶'ᵕ'˶): "Oh, that's normal. I already said it's called the Mist Cloak. It's broad daylight now, and the sunlight is so bright, it's definitely impossible for fog to form. You just need to wear it on a foggy day to create fog."

"But there's fog in the air on a foggy day!"

(˶'ᵕ'˶): "Yeah, is there anything you're not happy about? How about I get you a flashlight that only works in sunlight?"

What is a flashlight?

I couldn't understand what "Xitong" was saying, but it often used some strange words, so I quickly stopped paying attention to it.

Since the cloak is useless, I might as well just sneak in.

I easily scaled the wall, reached the roof, dodged the children playing in the yard, and quietly crept up to the second floor of the orphanage. I arrived at Mrs. Mary's room, intending to investigate her background first.

But before I could find the room, I heard the sound of wings flapping in the air.

I looked up and saw a pigeon fly over and land on the balcony of a house.

And on its leg, there was a piece of a letter tube.