If Roy’s morals were a little lower—say, down to the level of an average Bounty Hunter.
Then he could simply choose not to carry out John’s commission right now.
John, unaware that Roy could practice a Bloodline Breathing Technique without the required bloodline, had assumed he was merely a collector of Breathing Techniques. That was why he’d handed over the Inheritance Map for the Iron Claw Bear Breathing Technique as a deposit.
From John’s perspective, he had held something back.
However, John could never have imagined that the Inheritance Map for the Iron Claw Bear Breathing Technique was what Roy truly wanted.
As for the 500 Gold Coins, they were of little consequence to him.
Although he had already obtained the Iron Claw Bear Breathing Technique and even cultivated it to Tier Two, Roy still decided to kidnap Jeremy as agreed.
Other Bounty Hunters might not care much about the concept of integrity.
But his own moral compass wouldn’t allow him to break a contract so easily.
A man is nothing without his word!
Even though this wasn’t the Zhonghua Family of Blue Star, he had no intention of becoming a man who didn’t keep his promises.
Relying on skills that were on par with a Black Iron Great Knight’s, Roy reached Rock Lion Castle, located a few kilometers from Redwood City, without much effort.
He didn’t immediately infiltrate Rock Lion Castle. Instead, he stood atop a large tree in the forest near the castle, observing it with a serious expression.
Though both were stone castles, compared to the ordinary Ice Wolf Castle, Rock Lion Castle was not only more majestic and imposing, but its defenses were also far superior.
As far as Roy knew, the Beluns Clan had over 200 Official Knights.
Among them were over 150 Initial Tier Knights, over 40 Middle Tier Knights, over 20 High Tier Knights, and 4 Peak Knights.
And that was not even mentioning Count Rock Lion, who was a Black Iron Great Knight himself.
In contrast, the total number of soldiers at Ice Wolf Castle was less than 200.
This was to be expected.
A Baron was at the bottom of the aristocratic hierarchy.
A Count, on the other hand, was already considered a high-ranking noble.
After observing from the tree for a few minutes, Roy leaped down and began to infiltrate Rock Lion Castle.
For other Knights, the security at Rock Lion Castle was indeed formidable.
But for Roy, sneaking into Rock Lion Castle wasn’t particularly difficult.
Forget ordinary soldiers.
Even Initial Tier and Middle Tier Knights would have a hard time detecting his approach.
Provided he didn’t make too much noise.
After scaling the outermost wall of Rock Lion Castle, Roy moved like a black phantom to the main keep in the center of the fortress.
He got his bearings, then headed upstairs.
Whether it was Rock Lion Castle, Ice Wolf Castle, or any other castle, they were all built following a certain principle: the rooms on the upper floors were more important than those below.
For example, the Lord’s bedroom, study, bathroom, and so on would all be located on the highest floor of the main keep.
The ground floor, meanwhile, was usually reserved for places like the great hall, dining room, reception rooms, and banquet hall.
This layout wasn’t just to highlight the Lord’s status; it was also for security and comfort.
The higher one lived, the more secure they were.
Additionally, the view was better.
The main keep of Rock Lion Castle had five floors in total.
Jeremy was Count Rock Lion’s eldest son.
This meant his bedroom was most likely on the fourth floor.
As for which specific room on the fourth floor it was, Roy didn’t know yet.
Upon reaching the fourth floor, he cautiously began to scout the rooms.
As a Count, Count Rock Lion had many children.
He had more than ten sons alone.
Although he had over twenty children, not many of them were qualified to live on the fourth floor.
If Roy remembered correctly, only five of the Count’s children were held in high regard, and his eldest son, Jeremy, was one of them.
The other four were his second son Webb, fourth son Nox, eldest daughter Catherine, and youngest daughter Laila.
His other children were not particularly valued.
After carefully searching the fourth floor for a few minutes, Roy locked onto a room he suspected was Jeremy’s bedroom.
This bedroom was located on the southeastern side of the fourth floor, one of the few rooms with the best views.
Most importantly, two High Tier Knights were stationed as guards at the door.
After a moment of thought, Roy went down to the third floor and climbed out of a corridor window.
With his agile movements, he quickly arrived outside the window of the room he suspected was Jeremy’s.
Through the window, he saw the room’s decor and an empty bed.
The moment he saw the furnishings, he knew this wasn’t Jeremy’s room.
Putting everything else aside, a glance at the cosmetics and jewelry on the ornate vanity, as well as the long dresses hanging on the rack, was enough to tell him the owner of the bedroom was a woman.
Although Jeremy was a terrible person, he didn’t have a penchant for cross-dressing.
After confirming this wasn’t Jeremy’s bedroom, Roy had no intention of entering. He scaled the wall back to the third-floor corridor.
He was here to prepare for Jeremy’s kidnapping, not to be a thief.
’My luck is a bit off!’
He complained silently, preparing to return to the fourth floor to continue his search for Jeremy’s bedroom.
However, at that very moment, the faint sound of footsteps came from around the corner at the end of the corridor.
Although he couldn’t see around the corner, the moment he heard the footsteps, he knew the person approaching was not one of the castle’s soldiers or Knights.
Without any hesitation, having just returned to the third-floor corridor, he vaulted out the window once more.
The footsteps grew closer, quickly reaching his position.
Then, they stopped.
When he realized the person had stopped, an ominous thought flashed through Roy’s mind.
As it turned out, his intuition was spot on.
Under his gaze, a young woman with light green eyes and long golden hair, her face wrapped in black cloth, poked her head out of the window.
Roy had no idea who she was.
But the moment she stuck her head out, Roy, who was already prepared, struck decisively. His right hand, wreathed in White Fighting Qi, shot out like Lightning toward her neck.
His attack was incredibly fast.
However, the black-clad woman with the covered face was just as quick to react.
Before he could grab her neck, a pale yellow Fighting Qi enveloped her body.
BANG!
The instant the White Fighting Qi and the pale yellow Fighting Qi collided, a dull thud like a war drum echoed out.
Normally, the sound of a Fighting Qi collision of this magnitude would be nothing special.
But in the dead of night, the sound was as conspicuous as it could be.
Without a doubt, the sound immediately attracted the attention of the castle’s soldiers and Knights.
’Dammit!’
Roy cursed inwardly.
He had originally planned to take down this black-clad woman without alerting anyone else.
However, he had underestimated her.
’A Peak Knight!’
’This sneaky woman in black is actually a Peak Knight!’
Without a moment’s hesitation, Roy released his left hand’s grip on a crevice in the wall, pushed off with his legs, and leaped straight down.
For someone like him, whose physical attributes and Fighting Qi intensity were no less than a Black Iron Great Knight’s, a three-story drop was nothing.
In the blink of an eye, he landed safely on the ground.
Ignoring the black-clad woman on the third-floor corridor, he flicked his wrists, retrieving two ink-black Daggers from Chaos Square.
’The mission to find Jeremy’s bedroom has failed!’
’What I need to do now is get out of Rock Lion Castle before I’m surrounded.’
In a one-on-one fight, only Count Rock Lion in this castle had the strength to face him head-on.
But this wasn’t a fair one-on-one duel.
He couldn’t forget there were over 200 Official Knights in the castle.
Even while cultivating five different Breathing Techniques, he didn’t think he could take on more than 200 Official Knights at once.
Not unless he had already broken through to the rank of Bronze Great Knight.
Otherwise, if he were to be besieged by Count Rock Lion and the other Official Knights, his death would be certain.
After drawing his Daggers, Roy unleashed his Fighting Qi at full Power. A White, Flame-like Fighting Qi immediately enveloped his body as he sprinted toward the castle wall.
...