The silence in the village square was a living thing, thick with the smell of wet earth, woodsmoke, and a profound, simmering fear. The boy who had thrown the brick was on his knees in the mud, sobbing, a pathetic, trembling mess. And standing over him, a vision of cold, doll-like beauty and absolute menace, was Nari Han. The shotgun in her hands felt less like a weapon and more like a scepter, a symbol of her sudden, brutal reign over this little patch of paradise.
She was about to pull the trigger. I could see it in her eyes. The cold, logical part of her brain had made a calculation: an example had to be made. A life for an insult. It was a queen's calculus, and it was terrifyingly simple.
But this wasn't her kingdom to rule. Not yet.
I moved before I even thought, my own skills, my own aura, surging to the forefront. I grabbed her by the waist, my grip firm but not rough, and spun her to face me. The shotgun was still pointed at the boy, but her focus was now on me. Her grey eyes were blazing with a cold, furious fire.
"Calm down, Nari," I said, my voice a low, commanding hum that cut through her rage. I activated my skills—[Incubus], [Napoleon], [King's Aura], and [President]. The very air around us seemed to thicken, to bend to my will. "His life isn't worth dirtying your hands over. We have a hundred other ways to ruin this village, ways that are far more… elegant."
Nari looked at me, her chest rising and falling in ragged breaths. "Adam, I respect you," she hissed, her voice a low, dangerous thing. "But this bastard dared to attack me. He dared to challenge my authority."
I looked deep into her furious, beautiful eyes, pouring all of my own power, all of my own possessive charisma, into my gaze. "You are a queen, Nari," I said, my voice dropping to an intimate whisper. "A ruthless empress. Queens don't dirty their beautiful hands with the blood of peasants. They use their servants to do the dirty work."
My words, my aura, my sheer presence—it was a wave that crashed against the shores of her anger. The rigid tension in her body softened. The fire in her eyes dimmed, replaced by a new, calculating light.
Just as the tension was about to break, a new figure burst from the crowd. A young woman, maybe in her early twenties, with skin as pale as fresh snow and long, icy blonde hair that seemed to drink the grey light of the sky. She was a vision of desperate, sensual beauty, her hourglass figure poured into a plunging, blood-red silk dress that left absolutely nothing to the imagination.
Her expression was one of pure, heart-wrenching terror. She threw herself at the boy on the ground, wrapping her arms around him in a fierce, protective embrace. "Please, let my brother go!" she cried, her voice a fragile, beautiful sound that was full of a profound, soul-deep sorrow. "He's just a kid! He's all I have! Please, I'm begging you!" She was a mess of tears and desperation, her gaze darting from Nari's cold, impassive face to mine, a silent, powerful plea in her eyes.
Before I could even process this new, dramatic variable, another woman stepped forward. She was a different kind of beautiful. Where the first was a storm of raw emotion, this one was a bastion of calm, confident authority. Tall and slender, with pale porcelain skin and long, jet-black silky hair tied back in a high ponytail. Her almond-shaped, dark brown eyes radiated a sultry, knowing gaze, and her full, plump lips, painted a bold, glossy red, were set in a line of cool amusement. She wore a simple, off-shoulder white dress with a pastel yellow floral print, but she wore it with the grace and presence of a queen in her own court.
"Aren't you two being a little… dramatic?" she asked, her voice a calm, musical sound that cut through the tension like a knife.
Nari's rage, which had been simmering, flared back to life at this new challenge. I could feel her tensing up beside me, ready to bring the shotgun to bear on this new, impertinent woman. I gently took the weapon from her hands and whispered in her ear, "Listen, we're here for an important reason. This is creating a bad impression. We need to act benevolent. Don't worry. If we can't kill them, we can extort them. Do you believe me? Just let me handle this. My dear queen."
When I said those last words, I felt her resistance melt completely. She let out a long, slow breath. "Okay," she said, her voice a low, reluctant murmur. "But I want my revenge."
She stepped back, standing beside me, a silent, powerful, and still very angry partner. The sister of the boy was thanking me, her tear-filled eyes full of a profound, almost worshipful gratitude. But the new girl, the one with the ponytail, just looked at me intently, her gaze sharp and analytical, as if she were trying to solve a complex equation.
It was time to take control. I activated every skill in my arsenal: [Experienced Strategist], [Incubus], [Chanakya], [Advanced Appraisal], [Great Leader], [Napoleon], [Casanova], [Charmer], [President], and [King's Aura]. I was no longer just Adam Wilson; I was a living, breathing force of nature.
I stepped forward, my voice calm but ringing with an undeniable authority. "First, let me introduce myself. I am Adam Wilson. And this is my business partner, Miss Nari Han. So, may I ask you to tell me about yourselves?" I directed my question to the two women who had just stepped forward.
While they began their introductions, my [Advanced Appraisal] skill was already working, the familiar white panels shimmering into existence before my eyes, visible only to me.
Status:
Name: Bella Gia
Strength: 150
Agility: 180
Endurance: 165
Mentality: 580
Intelligence: 610
Mana: 0
Potential: SS+
Skills: [Ancestral Recall (Codex)], [Cognitive Scribe], [Symbiotic Design], [Arboreal Integration Theory]
Passive Skills: [The Living Archive], [Guardian's Vow], [Theoretical Genius (Latent)], [Living Chronicle], [Matriarch's Will], [Hestia], [Danu]
Soul Ledger: [A Threat for Triveria] & [A Dangerous Anomaly]
Status:
Name: Allison Alejandra
Strength: 70
Agility: 85
Endurance: 90
Mentality: 350
Intelligence: 400
Mana: 0
Potential: SR+
Skills: [Hearthwarden's Mastery], [Provider's Bounty], [Alchemist's Garden], [Trader's Intuition]
Passive Skills: [Sylvan Empathy], [Unwavering Devotion], [Vulnerable Allure], [Bountiful Harvest], [Disarming Presence], [Gaia], [Demeter]
Soul Ledger: [Desperate Adoration] & [A Glimmer of Hope]
I was intrigued. More than intrigued. I was looking at two women who lived in a secluded, forgotten corner of the world, and yet they possessed skills and a potential that rivaled, and in some cases surpassed, anyone in my own court.
Allison, the sister, finished her tearful thanks. "Thank you, Mr. Wilson, for letting my brother go. I am really grateful."
Bella, the village head, was less impressed. "We know we are at fault for attacking you," she said, her voice a cool, diplomatic counterpoint to Allison's raw emotion. "But still, you, and mostly Miss Han, were too aggressive. That boy is just a kid."
I listened to them, my face a mask of polite interest. Then, I let a slow, dangerous smile spread across my lips. "Listen to me, Miss Gia and Miss Alejandra. You're mistaken. We let your brother go. But we never said we were going to let this village go."
Bella's eyes widened, a flicker of genuine fear finally breaking through her composed exterior. "What do you mean?"
My voice dropped, taking on a new, imposing tone that seemed to suck all the warmth from the air. "Attacking someone is a very heinous crime. We might not be able to go against the government, but we still have many ways to make you pay."
Bella's breath hitched. "What do you want?" she asked, her voice now tight with a desperate tension. "We can apologize."
"I don't need your half-hearted apologies," I said, my voice dripping with a cold, dismissive power. "You attacked us. You wasted our time. You caused us mental harassment. All of you could be sent to jail. Or… I could destroy your home."
Bella's composure finally shattered. She shot forward, her hands grabbing the collar of my suit. The bodyguards tensed, their rifles raising, but I gave them a single, almost imperceptible signal to stand down.
"You bastard," she snarled, her face just inches from mine, her beautiful, confident eyes now blazing with a pure, unadulterated hatred. "You're worse than her."
Allison rushed forward, her own voice a pleading, desperate cry. "Mr. Wilson, we know we were wrong, but please, don't do this! This is our home! We have nowhere else to go!"
I gently but firmly pushed Bella away. My mind was a cold, calculating machine now. It was time for the final push. I activated my superpower, [King's Edict].
A wave of invisible, irresistible energy washed over the two women. Their resistance, their anger, their fear—it all just… vanished, replaced by a blank, receptive calm.
"In this world," I said, my voice a low, hypnotic command, "there is nothing for free. Everything has a price. And to show your sincerity, to compensate for the mistake of your village… what can you offer us?" I looked from Bella's now-calm face to Allison's tear-streaked one. "What can both of you give to us? What treasures does this secluded little paradise hold? Tell me. What qualities do you possess that might intrigue me?"
My words were heavy, absolute. The entire village seemed to hold its breath, their gazes fixed on their two leaders. The two women looked at each other, a silent, desperate conversation passing between them.
"I knew it," I said, my voice full of a theatrical disappointment. "You have nothing to offer."
But before the words had even fully left my mouth, Allison spoke, her voice a quiet but firm statement of fact. "I can work for you."
This was the moment I had been waiting for. I feigned a lack of interest. "What can you do? Can you fight wars? Are you a tech expert? No. Then what use are you to me?"
She looked desperate, the words tumbling out of her in a rush. "I am an herbalist, with a very deep knowledge of flora and fauna. I am a good cook. I am good at cleaning. My medicines are all plant-based, and they are very effective and efficient. I am willing to work for you, Mr. Wilson."
Her brother, freed from his own fear, shouted, "Don't do this, sister! They are monsters!"
She looked at him, a single tear tracing a path down her cheek. "Sam, take care of yourself." She then turned back to me, her expression one of absolute, unwavering resolve. "Mr. Wilson, I am ready."
Then Bella spoke, her voice full of a new, profound dignity. "I am the head of this village. I will compensate for the mistakes of my people. I am proficient in trade, and many other things."
I let a slow, triumphant smile spread across my face. "Then it's settled," I said, my voice a deep, final pronouncement. "Pack your bags. You're coming with us. We have to meet some friends first, but we will come back to pick you up. Be ready. Because we don't like to wait."
Nari and I turned and walked back towards the Rolls Royce, leaving a village of stunned, silent people in our wake.
"Why?" Nari asked as we settled back into the plush leather seats. Her anger was gone, replaced by a deep, analytical curiosity.
"I know you're angry," I said, looking her straight in the eye. "But listen to my reasoning. Anna's report mentioned a chance of hidden mineral mines in this region. Thus, I used this plot. And also… I have a very strong intuition. These two women are incredible, Nari. Believe me."
She looked at me for a long, searching moment. She didn't say anything. She just gave a single, almost imperceptible nod. "Driver," she said, her voice all business again. "Drive fast. We have other places to visit."
And with that, our convoy pulled out of the silent, conquered village, leaving a trail of dust and went toward to meet Sterling Triplets.