After some thought, Rein was not interested in Hamilton’s invitation.
Although Night Watchmen were also “civil servants,” officially organized under the Empire, there was no need! With Lady Cleya’s high regard for him, Rein could currently lay a solid foundation at the Habsburg estate, safe and sound.
Seemingly guessing Rein’s thoughts, Hamilton pulled out a grey pouch from the drawer and tossed it to Rein.
“Thud!”
“This is the bounty, 5 Gold Coins for Scarface, 10 for Blackbeard, totaling 15 Imperial Gold Coins.”
“Thank you!”
Rein quickly caught the pouch, feeling exceptionally thrilled inside.
He really hadn’t expected that, even though he hadn’t agreed to Hamilton’s recruitment, the man would neither withhold nor pinch him over the bounty issue.
This suddenly improved Rein’s impression of Hamilton by quite a bit.
However….
This delight lasted only a few seconds before Hamilton’s next words dissipated it like smoke.
“Rein, I must remind you, the Scarface you killed had no notable background, but….. Blackbeard, on the other hand, has a brother who is the boss of the Hyena Gang in Meister County, and he’s very powerful.”
“Just now, I was reviewing the dossier on Blackbeard,” said Hamilton as he handed over the parchment roll to Rein.
Rein took the sheepskin roll and immediately started reading through the dossier—only, the more he read, the more solemn his expression became!
The dossier showed that the Hyena Gang commanded hundreds of men and dealt in all kinds of dirty deeds, like theft, extortion of protection fees, and occasionally even more detestable acts like trafficking women and children.
What was especially noted in the dossier was that the Hyena Gang’s boss, nicknamed “The Canine King” Korr, had managed through some unknown means to tame a mutant Hyena Queen, as large as a boar, a few years ago. After raising a litter of pups, he equipped his core members with them.
Dependent on the hyenas’ combat abilities, which far exceeded those of ordinary dogs, the Hyena Gang quickly rose above other gangs in Meister County, and it was rumored they even made connections with certain nobility in the city.
Faced with such an unscrupulous gang, Rein knew that even if he wasn’t afraid, his family certainly couldn’t afford to provoke them!
Realizing this, Rein knew that he could only rely on the law enforcement officer before him to escape this predicament; that was also the purpose of Hamilton showing him the dossier.
Hamilton continued speaking:
“As I understand it, Blackbeard had a good relationship with his brother. He came out on his own this time to make some easy money. If his brother finds out his own sibling was killed by you, he will surely seek revenge.”
After a few seconds of silence, Rein, with a calm expression, looked at Hamilton and said:
“Lord Hamilton, since you took the initiative to discuss this matter with me, you must have a way to resolve it.”
Appreciation gleamed in Hamilton’s eyes; he himself, at Rein’s age, probably couldn’t have faced the situation as calmly as Rein did.
Just as he was about to share his thoughts, suddenly, Hamilton’s eyes brightened as he looked at Rein!
He had just noticed a significant change in Rein, who was sitting across from him, compared to the last time they met.
The events of the previous night had happened in the dark, and Hamilton had not noticed Rein’s transformation due to the dim light.
But today was daytime, and after scrutinizing Rein closely, Hamilton realized that his eyes were bright and spirited, his breathing steady and strong, bearing a great resemblance to how Hamilton himself had been when he first began learning the Knight Breathing Method!
Hamilton couldn’t help but blurt out, “Rein, have you practiced the Knight Breathing Method?!”
This sudden realization alarmed Rein!
“You can see that??”
However, Rein remained silent, maintaining a smile and calmly looking at Hamilton.
To this, Hamilton didn’t seem to mind. Instead, he appeared thoughtful and murmured to himself:
“You have been training as a child servant on the Habsburg estate recently, which means that one of the knights within the Habsburgs must have taught you the breathing method. So, is this knight His Excellency the estate steward Knight Lloyd or the swordsmanship instructor Sir Perez?”
Hamilton’s gaze was piercing as he watched Rein, trying to discern something from his expression.
This made Rein re-evaluate Hamilton once again!
He hadn’t expected that this robust man before him would have such a delicate mind, nearly guessing the whole matter correctly, except for the last part about the person involved.
“I’m sorry, Lord Hamilton, but I cannot reveal which lord taught me the breathing method.”
“Because I have promised to keep this secret!”
“Haha, good lad! However, the infighting among the heirs of the Count Habbs family is intense, and joining the estate might not necessarily be a good thing for you. The Count’s two sons are fighting over power and profit, while his young daughter has an exceptional knightly talent, having become an official knight two years ago and deeply favored by the old Count!”
Hamilton waved his hand, obviously not minding whether Rein spoke or not, but instead revealed a significant secret to him.
Infighting?
Was it Lady Creya and her brothers or brother against brother?
No wonder earlier Lady Creya said that she wanted the fact that she taught me the breathing method kept a secret and mentioned that letting it out might not be good for me.
Rein suddenly understood!
“And, the eldest son of the Count Habbs, Alonso, has dubious relations with the Wilderness Brotherhood. So, Rein, as a talented individual, joining the Night Watcher’s Army and serving the Empire would be your best choice!”
Hamilton slowly stood up, his bright eyes seriously fixed on Rein as he spoke.
At that moment, he thought, “Since Rein has already gained the appreciation of the upper echelons of the Habsburg estate and has practiced breathing techniques, it wouldn’t be quite appropriate for him to pretend to be an orphan to infiltrate the enemy as I had originally thought.”
“Once you join the Night Watcher’s Army, I will have reason to move our already stretched forces and pay special attention to the area where your family lives, ensuring the safety of you and your family. Against the threats of the Hyena gang, the Night Watchmen will be your solid support!”
Hamilton’s words were very enticing to Rein!
The information that the other party had shared was “high-end information” that Rein had never been privy to, but he believed that Hamilton wouldn’t deceive him on this matter.
After all, some things are very easy to verify.
Seeing that Rein was still hesitant, Hamilton continued to up the ante:
“Rein, practicing the breathing method isn’t cheap! You have completed two bounty tasks this time, earning more than 10 Imperial Gold Coins, which meets the minimum requirement to apply for an Imperial Bounty Hunters license.”
Rein strongly agreed with Hamilton’s words, as cultivating the breathing method was indeed expensive.
If it weren’t for Lady Creya providing him with berserker bear meat and the specialized secret medicine for the Giant Bear Breathing Technique—Black Kyrin oil, his progress wouldn’t be this rapid.
However, what puzzled Rein was this Bounty Hunters license. What was that all about?
Shouldn’t anyone be able to kill a wanted criminal and thus receive the bounty?