Batom couldn’t help but frown on the side, saying, "It’s hard to imagine that people would live in such a place. When I met those Lunxike People in the slums of Kowima, I never saw a place this shabby. You know, Lord, those guys already live like Cave Dwellers—"
But before he could finish his sentence, the door under Brand’s hand creaked open. The mercenary could only close his mouth, swallowing the latter part of his sentence.
A sinister gaze fell on Batom from behind the door. After a moment, a hoarse voice spoke, "Brand? When did you come back from Buqi? And to think you didn’t die, that really exceeds my expectations!"
"Would it benefit you if I did, Limp Man?"
Brand replied coldly, looking at the sharp-faced old man. The few sparse hairs on this guy’s head seemed ready to fall out from all the scheming he did daily.
But Limp Man seemed to enjoy it. He laughed twice, his triangular eyes, white with more green than pupils, glaring at the two of them. "What’s up, Brand, have you struck it rich now? Brought me a new customer?"
Before leaving Brags, Brand had pawned a lot of personal belongings with Limp Man, which is how he got involved with this thoroughly rotten guy. This man had always been coveting the oil painting in Brand’s grandfather’s old house—in fact, Brand never knew how the limp man found out about it.
The young man glanced at him, and the sharpness in his eyes made Limp Man shrink back involuntarily.
"You... seem a bit different, Brand." The old man hesitated.
"Anyone would change after experiencing so much." Brand replied, not wanting to waste more words. He asked directly, "Do you still want my grandfather’s oil painting?"
Limp Man was stunned, his small triangular eyes immediately gleaming with light, "Of course, of course, what’s the matter, did you bring it, Brand?"
But before he could finish speaking, he felt a cold, shining treasure sword at his neck. The guy, who spent all his days giving out usurious loans and scheming others into ruin, couldn’t help but shiver and his legs immediately went weak.
"My patience is thin. Tell me if my grandfather’s oil painting was stolen by your people," Brand asked coldly, staring at the guy, his eyes seemingly ready to emit cold light.
Batom turned around and saw a few people about to run. He picked up a few stones from the ground and threw them over, hitting those people and making them scream for their parents. Then he greeted Brand and walked over there.
Seeing this scene, Limp Man’s heart sank even more, and he couldn’t help but scream, "Brand, listen to me, it’s not me. How could I dare offend..."
He suddenly realized something was wrong and promptly shut his mouth, "Brand, you know me, though I am greedy, I wouldn’t break the rules."
Brand looked at this guy, seeing his small triangular eyes constantly rolling, he knew the guy had figured it out. He couldn’t actually kill someone, although he was a bit disappointed, he still withdrew the sword, "I accept your explanation, now let’s talk about other business."
"Other business? Brand, I can’t endure this kind of business too often." Limp Man touched his neck as if to confirm his head was still attached, speaking with lingering fear.
"Hmph, that thing was lost. My old man wants my life; I could only want yours then," Brand answered, half jokingly.
Limp Man quickly denied it, "I know, I know, don’t worry, I will help you find out about it." Although he said this, he was internally cursing, wondering who dared break the rule to touch that thing.
He couldn’t help but glance at Brand’s hands, but they were just as empty as he expected.
After thinking for a moment, he asked, "Speaking of your old man, Brand, your family is probably looking for you, aren’t you going back to check on them?"
Brand glanced at him, "I don’t dare for now. I’ll go back when I find the thing." Although he said so, he was worried that going back now would bring trouble to his family. Considering the tumultuous times, it was better to wait for now.
Thinking of his father, Brand couldn’t help but sigh. Though he had half another soul, the soul originally in his body still resonated with this emotion.