People in the Alliance, Time Management Master

On the island of Philolus, Noxians hold the highest status, followed by pigs, dogs, and livestock, and lastly, Ionians.

The greatswords they carried gave them a voice, but also took away the dignity of the local people.

"Hey, Captain," one of the soldiers suddenly spoke up, "I think I've seen this coward before, his name is... Ochi? Or Oba?"

"So what if I've seen it?" the leading soldier asked.

"There's a funny joke going on here..." The Noxian man with a buzz cut and a mustache moved over a few chairs, snatched Okun's strong tea, and then said with a sly grin:

"This coward's wife was mistakenly killed by our people two months ago. Not only does he not seek revenge, but he also has the nerve to continue running this shop and serving our people. Hahahaha..."

"Is that so?" The squad leader raised an eyebrow, his disdain deepening. "What a coward... If it were me, I'd rather die on the road to revenge. Pah, coward."

Oken kept his head down and didn't say a word, his body trembling like a leaf, not even daring to wipe away the spittle mixed with thick phlegm that someone had spat on him.

But if someone observes closely, they will find that his fists, hidden behind his back, are already clenched tightly, and his eyes contain a chillingly calm anger.

"Alright, you coward. Now I'll ask you questions and you answer them."

The squad leader waved his hand, stopping his two subordinates from laughing.

Have you seen a group of swordsmen in gray robes recently? Provide a clue and you'll be rewarded with five gold coins.

“No…” Oken stammered, “I travel between the port and the inn every day, and I’ve never seen anyone wearing a grey robe…”

"Really not?"

"I would never dare to deceive you..."

The squad leader stroked his chin, his scarred eyes narrowing slightly. After a moment's thought, he beckoned to the other two:

"Go, search every room. Anyone staying at a hotel at this time of year is definitely a tourist. Arresting them all is the right thing to do."

"Yes, Captain!" Upon receiving the order, the two Noxian soldiers immediately ran upstairs.

Upon seeing this, Oken panicked instantly.

There are two guests staying upstairs! This is putting them in danger!

“Sir… all the guests staying here are genuine locals, what do you think…”

"A local?" The squad leader scoffed. "During wartime, would any locals stay in a hotel? What, you didn't know and didn't report it, did you?"

“No, no… my guest is… a distant relative of mine, staying here for a few days…” Oken hurriedly explained, looking even more suspicious.

"Alright, I can judge for myself. If you make any more noise, I'll arrest you too."

"Sir—"

"Didn't you hear me tell you to shut up?" The squad leader drew his greatsword and rudely interrupted the man. If the latter dared to utter another word, he would make sure this small inn was splattered with blood.

Oken obediently retreated to the front desk, his face filled with self-blame and fear.

Soon, the sound of doors being kicked open echoed from upstairs.

The third room, the fourth room, the fifth room… Okenmer counted the number of rooms being kicked away, his anxiety growing. He knew that once those two damned bastards kicked away the ninth room, his guests would suffer an undeserved disaster.

No... I can't hurt others...

Three Noxian bastards... It'll probably take the two upstairs about twenty seconds to get down. If it's a sneak attack, twenty seconds should be enough to kill this big guy in front of me...

Oken nervously swallowed, his right hand stealthily reaching for the sharp knife hidden under the counter.

Bang! With a loud crash, the ninth room was also kicked open.

Oken gritted his teeth and drew his dagger. But before he could rush toward the squad leader, a scream came from upstairs.

That voice... seems to be one of those two Noxian bastards?

"Damn it!" The squad leader heard his subordinate's screams and immediately grabbed his greatsword to run upstairs.

However, as soon as he stood up, a Noxian soldier rolled down the hallway to his feet.

As for the other one, he was being held like a chick by a handsome young man, completely powerless to resist.

"You actually dared to hide someone..." The squad leader glared fiercely at Oken. "Heh, just wait to be sent to the execution ground and beheaded, you coward."

“I…” Oken stared at Mu Bai in shock, hesitated for a moment, then raised his dagger and shouted:

"Brother! Let's kill this Noxian bastard together!"

"Alright." Mu Bai smiled and casually flicked his wrist, sending the Noxian soldier who had been choked unconscious flying straight at the squad leader.

However, the latter neither dodged nor evaded, but instead charged forward with his greatsword, seemingly intending to cut his subordinates in two to avoid hindering his kill.

However, before he could even swing his sword, he suddenly realized that his body was out of his control.

"It has recovered somewhat, but it's still far from enough... It seems we need more medicine."

A stunningly beautiful white-haired girl floated in mid-air, a hint of dissatisfaction on her face.

She gently flicked a slender, white finger, and the squad leader, driven by powerful magic, slammed heavily into the wall, half of his body embedding itself in it.

Oken was dumbfounded.

What's going on here?

Where's the rich young master and the pretty but useless woman we were promised?

"I'm sorry for the trouble," Mu Bai said apologetically. "We'll leave right away and won't be a burden to you. We'll also compensate you for the damage."

"Not at all, it's me who's dragging you down..." Oken quickly said.

He glanced at the scabbard at Mu Bai's waist, then at the three Noxian bastards who were either dead or unconscious, and an idea suddenly flashed through his mind.

"Um... esteemed guest, I have a favor to ask of you..."

As soon as he finished speaking, a system notification sounded in Mu Bai's ear:

[Mission: Resistance, Justice, and Victory]

[Description: Philolus has been occupied by the Noxians for too long. It's time for the Ionian resistance to reclaim this beautiful island. Helping the resistance and fighting for justice would be the best gift you could give their leader.]

Objective: To grant [Oken's] request and assist him in completing the rebel assassination mission.

[Reward: The cooldown of the skill [Kleptomancy] is reset to zero; the probability of successfully stealing skills with the next [Kleptomancy] is increased to 100%]

Chapter Seven: Syndra's Perseverance

Mu Bai felt a pang of heartache watching Syndra wolf down her food.

Although this girl always seems cold and aloof, she's actually just a simple and naive little girl at heart.

Half of his early twenties were spent being bullied by family and neighbors, a quarter in temples, and a third in sleep.

The only true freedom she ever enjoyed was probably during these two days after waking up from the Dream Pool.

No wonder she harbors such resentment towards the people and things of this land...

"Don't rush, eat slowly." Mu Bai picked up a large piece of meat and put it into the girl's small bowl, kindly reminding her.

"Well……"

Syndra mumbled something indistinctly, hesitated for a moment, and then stuffed the piece of meat into her mouth, not caring whether it counted as an indirect kiss or not.

Anyway, I've been using other people's medicine bottles to drink my medicine, so it doesn't matter.

“You two have such a good relationship…” Seeing the two of them looking so “affectionate,” Oken couldn’t help but think of his deceased wife, and his mood suddenly became much heavier.

Mu Bai touched his nose, offering no explanation. Other Syndra players didn't explain, and if he rushed to explain, he'd seem clueless.

Of course, Syndra didn't explain most likely because she was busy eating and didn't have time to talk.

"Let's get down to business." Mu Bai put down his chopsticks and pushed the plates towards Syndra. "Is there anything you need my help with?"

"Um……"

Okun glanced at the three Noxian soldiers huddled in the corner of the inn, his face tense, seemingly worried that they would refuse his unreasonable request:

"I want... to ask you to help the resistance..."

"How can we help?" Mu Bai asked again.

Oken took a deep breath, looked at the other person with an almost pleading gaze, and then slowly said:

"Actually, I am a member of the resistance on Philol Island. My plan is to assassinate the Noxian general stationed here within a week and reclaim Philol Island, which belongs to the Ionians!"

"But the resistance on Philol Island is too weak, with fewer than ten people... So we requested reinforcements from the resistance in Navori Province. The reinforcement team has already arrived on the island, and those three Noxian bastards are looking for them."

“But…I don’t think it’s enough. There are too many Noxian bastards on the island; we probably can’t accomplish the assassination on our own…”

“My wife died at the hands of those bastards… I wish I could tear them limb from limb, but I don’t have the power… For the past two months, I’ve been playing the coward, going back and forth between the hotel and the port every day, just to figure out what those bastards are planning…”

"So...please...we're willing to pay a generous reward if you agree!"

After hearing what Oken said, Mu Bai did not immediately agree, but instead asked, "You're so bold as to tell me all this, aren't you afraid I'll betray you?"

“I believe you won’t.” Okun forced a smile, his eyes glancing intentionally or unintentionally at the three Noxian soldiers.

We're all in the same boat now; no one can betray anyone else.

Given the nature of Noxians, being a traitor to them would bring no riches or honors; it would only lead to betrayal and abandonment.

"Alright." Mu Bai nodded. "How much compensation can you offer?"

"Ten...no, twenty gold coins!"

"At least thirty."

“Thirty… thirty…” Oken muttered the number over and over again, looking troubled.

It wasn't that he was stingy; he simply didn't have that much money. He didn't have more than five gold coins on him, and even if he and his fellow rebels pooled their resources, they could only manage to scrape together a maximum of twenty.

Just as he was struggling with this, Mu Bai said again, "If you don't have enough money, you can use items of equal value to pay off the debt."

"Well... alright! Thirty gold coins!"

Oken gritted his teeth and reluctantly agreed. He had already planned to sell the inn for a pittance, hoping to get at least thirty gold coins.

As long as I can avenge my wife's death, what do I care about a little money?

"Okay, let's leave it at that for now."

During their conversation, Syndra had already finished eating, leaving only empty plates on the table. Mu Bai stood up and went upstairs, leaving Oken with one last sentence:

"Write a contract, and I'll come down to sign it later. Call me if you need any other help."