Hearing this sudden voice, the old clan leader Fulin was slightly taken aback. He slowly raised his head and his gaze fell on the dark corner opposite the room. A thin figure emerged from behind the wide coat rack there.
"If you're here to steal, I'm afraid you're going to be disappointed," the old clan leader Fulin said with a slightly cold gaze as he slowly put down the magnifying glass in his hand.
"You didn't call for the guards immediately. The clan leader is indeed smart," the figure smiled.
The old clan leader Fulin snorted coldly and said, "You were able to sneak into my castle. Your skills should be no less than those of a regular knight. I know how fast my own guards are. By the time they arrive, you'll have plenty of time to kill an old man like me and then run away. So, tell me, what exactly are you after by coming here?"
The figure stepped out of the shadows. It was Dudian. He had a faint smile on his face and said, "We haven't seen each other for three years. Does the clan leader still remember me?"
When the old clan leader Fulin saw Dudian's face, a hint of surprise flashed in his eyes. He didn't expect that the intruder was so young. His gaze flickered for a moment, and he said, "You should be able to tell that I'm already old. As people get old, their memory fades. Please be straightforward."
Dudian smiled faintly and said, "At the noble gathering held by the Mellon Consortium three years ago, you invited a young scavenger to serve as a knight for your family. Do you remember that?"
The old clan leader Fulin was stunned. After thinking for a moment, his pupils suddenly dilated, and he exclaimed, "It's you?!"
"It's me."
The old clan leader Fulin couldn't help but say, "You, you're not..." Halfway through, he was suddenly shocked and said, "You escaped from prison?"
Dudian smiled and said, "For a commoner prisoner like me with no background or status, it seems there's no other way to get out."
The old clan leader Fulin's face changed, and his expression turned ugly. He said, "I remember that I haven't offended you. I heard about the thing that got you imprisoned three years ago. Even if you want to take revenge, you should go after the Blom family and the Milan family."
Dudian smiled slightly, pulled over a chair beside him, and sat down. He said, "Clan leader, there's no need to be nervous. I have no ill intentions towards you. I came to find you so late just to talk about a cooperation with you."
"Cooperation?" The old clan leader Fulin was slightly taken aback and said in a low voice, "Our Lane family is just a small family, and our fiefdom is just a small town outside. To be honest, the money earned by all the industries under the Lane family every year is not even enough for the annual expenses of the children of the Blom family. I really can't help you."
Dudian smiled softly and said, "I didn't come to you for that. I naturally know the situation of your Lane family. Although your Lane family has declined, you're still a noble family after all. I came to you to ask you to bail me out."
"Bail you out?" The old clan leader Fulin was stunned and shook his head. "No, no. You've already escaped from prison, and you can't be bailed out. If you were still in prison, I could bail you out, but now you're a wanted criminal. Unless you're willing to be caught and go back to prison again, I can't bail you out."
Dudian smiled and said, "It's just a matter of the size of the cost. As long as you spend some money to handle it, I believe that for a mere wanted poster, you should have a way to cancel it."
"You overestimate me," the old clan leader Fulin shook his head and said, "Our Lane family has no savings left. As you can see, all the expensive antiques passed down by our ancestors have been sold. There's nothing of value left. Now, we can barely make ends meet with the income from the fiefdom and the farm. We simply don't have the money to help you with this."
Dudian said softly, "Clan leader, you should know that I'm a hunter. If you bail me out, will your family still be short of money in the future?"
The old clan leader Fulin smiled bitterly and said, "But I really don't have the money to help you."
"If I remember correctly, your family has a mine in Red Leaf Mountain, right?" Dudian said with interest.
The old clan leader Fulin's face changed, and he said, "You want me to sell the mine? You'd better not even think about it. This is the last lifeline of our Lane family. We will never sell it. Even if you kill me, it won't help!"
Dudian sighed and said, "Clan leader, I hope time hasn't eroded your brain and eyes. You should see clearly what is a real precious mine and what is a useless mine."
"What do you mean?" The old clan leader Fulin's face changed slightly.
"When I'm bailed out and have a legal identity, I will naturally repay your Lane family," Dudian said slowly. "If I'm not wrong, that mine has already been mined until it's barren, right? It's no different from a useless mine. Otherwise, your Lane family wouldn't have declined like this. But I'm different. You should know that the wealth created by a hunter can completely change the current difficult situation of your Lane family."
The old clan leader Fulin's face was ugly, and he shook his head. "No, I can't do this."
Dudian said indifferently, "I know what you're worried about. Bailing me out means standing against the Blom family and the Milan family, which will bring a devastating blow to the already weakened Lane family. But aren't you already on the same front as them? Your Lane family is also declining day by day. In another ten years, how many knights will your Lane family be able to hire to guard the door?"
The old clan leader Fulin's face was ugly. He knew that Dudian was right, and this had always been the source of his worry and trouble.
"But it's different if you cooperate with me," Dudian smiled slightly and said, "I can improve the life of your Lane family. Even, I can make your Lane family regain the glory of its heyday."
The old clan leader Fulin suddenly looked up at him and said coldly, "Just you? Although you're a hunter, how can I trust you? After I bail you out, will you know how to repay the favor? Moreover, I know better than you how capable a junior hunter is. You don't need to try to persuade me. A junior hunter alone can't cause much trouble. Besides, how could I possibly bet the fate of my family on a hunter who could die outside the Wall at any time?"
Dudian smiled softly and said, "A junior hunter alone naturally can't do it, but what about a middle-rank hunter?"
The old clan leader Fulin was immediately stunned. He looked at Dudian with suspicion and said, "What do you mean?"
"Remember the Baylin team that died three years ago?" Dudian smiled.
The old clan leader Fulin was taken aback. Of course, he knew about this. As a shareholder under the Mellon Consortium, every time a hunter in the consortium was killed, it would be notified to all the nobles. What's more, an entire hunting team was wiped out. This incident caused a great sensation at that time. Several investigation teams were sent outside the Wall to search, but they couldn't find the cause and couldn't determine whether it was man-made or caused by monsters.
"I killed them all," Dudian said with a smile on his face.