By the stacked goods, an axe leaned.
Chen Lun walked over, hooked the axe with his foot, and it spun into the air, which he then grasped by the handle.
Clang!
With one swing of the axe, the brass lock on the iron cage clattered to the ground.
He then went on to break the locks on the other cages one by one, freeing the people captured inside.
"We really can't thank you enough!"
Several men who had gained their freedom hurried over to Chen Lun, bowing deeply. Among them was the previously irate older man, who now held nothing but genuine admiration.
Looking at this black-haired youth's attire and considering the strength he had shown by single-handedly wiping out the entire bandit camp, he certainly was no ordinary person. For such a powerful figure, even though he looked young, it had become instinct to respect him sincerely.
"We are all craftsmen from nearby and not wealthy; we have no idea how we could ever repay your kindness."
Someone asked.
"There's no need."
Chen Lun waved his hand.
He had originally just come to hunt down the bandits; saving people was just something he did incidentally, yet the identities these people revealed reminded him of the descriptions of Iron Gloves' items.
Craftsmen, huh...
"Why did these bandits capture you?"
"Well... we are not sure, but in their previous conversations, they seemed to mention needing to make something, which is why they were kidnapping people everywhere."
Chen Lun nodded. That made sense.
But he quickly noticed that among these burly, sizable craftsmen, one did not fit in.
Blond hair, blue eyes, wearing a pointy hat adorned with a flamboyant feather, draped in a cloak, with a small harp tucked at his waist.
Most importantly, even though covered in dirt, his unique aura and handsomeness could not be concealed.
He was only perhaps a tiny bit less handsome than himself.
"You? You can't possibly be a craftsman too, can you?"
Seeing Chen Lun's puzzled look focused on him, Alec confidently smiled.
He stepped forward, placed his left hand over his right chest, and bowed deeply, nodding as a gesture of respect.
"I am Alec, a great wandering bard."
Chen Lun raised an eyebrow.
The blond young man raised a finger and said loudly,
"Although I am very grateful that you offered assistance, Alec actually didn't need it.
I could have escaped by myself, but I chose to stay to observe the bandits' daily lives more closely for inspiration... They too are a reflection of the oppression under the Empire, and I wish to compose poetry about this."
"Don't listen to his nonsense!"
One of the craftsmen, the irate older man, suddenly shouted.
"This guy claims he once forged divine artifacts, which led the bandits to capture him!
A guy who can't even lift a hammer, boasting to the heavens—it's an insult to us craftsmen!"
Alec, veins popping and face flushing red, hands on his hips, yelled back,
"Shut up! I was not boasting!"
"I've tolerated you for too long, you big talker!"
The irate older man charged forward and punched Alec right in his handsome face, knocking him to the ground with his mouth bleeding.
"Bastard!"
Angrily, Alec got up and started fighting back.
However, due to the huge difference in build and the fact that the big and strong irritated older man worked daily with hammers and bellows, he knocked Alec down again with just a few strikes.
Chen Lun did not intervene, his arms crossed, watching with interest.
The irate older man, having blown off steam, led the way once more in bowing to Chen Lun.
"There are many villages nearby; we forge farming tools here to make a living. If you ever need anything, you can come to us."
"Yes, although our skills might not match those in the military camps, the weapons we produce are definitely not inferior!"
Chen Lun smiled and nodded, and the group of craftsmen then left together.
He turned to look at Alec, who had gotten back to his feet and was wiping the blood from his mouth corner with his sleeve.
"You said you've forged divine weapons?"
"Uh... of course!"
Alec seemed to have completely dismissed the recent beating, regaining his confident demeanor.
He flicked his blond hair and took out the small harp from his waist, beginning to play and sing:
"It was a nearly two-meter-long greatsword.
Forged from seabed metals mixed with celestial debris, adding the blood of the Extreme West evil dragon and the fangs of the Lord of Blood, and embellished with tricolor crystals and multicolored gems.
I once used it to slay the great beast of the North Sea and also used it to chop off the head of the Nightmare Knight of the South...
Alas, it broke during the battle with the Overlord from the Far East and was lost..."
Clap clap clap...
Chen Lun applauded enthusiastically.
"Well done. A captivating song, and the story is great too. It seems you are indeed suited for this line of work."
"This is not a story!"
Alec, enraged and embarrassed, stopped playing.
"Although you saved me, you can't insult me! This is so rude! It's not something a gentleman should do!
I challenge you to a duel! I need to restore my noble dignity as Alec!"
Alec looked around and then picked up a kitchen knife from the ground. As he raised his head ready to fight a life-and-death battle with this dark-haired young man, he found that the latter had already turned and walked away.
"Wait! Don't go!"
Alec chased after him, frustrated.
...
"I am telling you the truth, why don't you believe me!?"
Alec gasped for air.
Chen Lun glanced at him and continued to walk briskly forward.
Alec gritted his teeth and quickened his pace, running back to Chen Lun's side.
"Hey, listen, I..."
"Fine, fine, I believe you."
Chen Lun finally lost his patience and spoke seriously.
Alec's eyes widened, joy spreading across his face.
"Really...really? That's great... Uh!"
He suddenly regained his confident expression and coughed twice.
Having already concluded that Alec probably had issues with his head, Chen Lun ignored him and continued walking on his own.
Alec silently followed beside Chen Lun. After walking for a while, he glanced at Chen Lun and couldn't help but speak again:
"Um well, do you want to hear more about my glorious past?"
"Absolutely not."
Chen Lun shrugged his shoulders.
Alec had a conflicted look on his face, seemingly stifling hard feelings.
"All right, go ahead."
Chen Lun resigned himself, hoping this modern-day torture would end soon.
Alec seemed to hit a switch and started to sing vividly. During the process, he even pulled out a small harmonica for accompaniment.
Truth be told, aside from his tall tales, he actually sang quite well.
The guy's voice was intrinsically magnetic, clear and ethereal. Coupled with his handsome looks, if his mind were a bit more normal, he could probably sweep countless young girls off their feet.
Oh wait, and countless noblewomen too.
Chen Lun filtered out most of his embellished bragging, and roughly made out the content of Alec's song.
It was essentially about his travels around the world, where he went from place to place ridding folks of evils and slaying monstrous dragons to become a hero.
Beyond the Tresor Empire that incorporated the central and eastern parts of the continent, he also stepped foot in the northern Byron Kingdom, the western Beelzebub Kingdom, and the southern Shuoli City – the three major vassal states.
He even drifted across the endless oceans of the continent and encountered numerous formidable foes.
But by this point, Chen Lun could hardly listen any longer, fortunately, they had already walked out of the dense woods and back onto the main road.
He hurried to the carriage, taking two steps at a time.
"Hey, why don't you become my sidekick? You must greatly admire me after hearing my stories!"
Alec shouted from behind.
Chen Lun acted as if he heard nothing, and just told Walsh to get moving, then climbed into the carriage.
The carriage started moving again, and Alec continued to chase behind.
"Hey! Jack! I have lots of fans, are you sure you don't want to consider this?"
Exhausted from the chase, he ultimately gave up and watched the carriage disappear down the road, cursing under his breath.
Inside the carriage, Chen Lun breathed a sigh of relief, finally shaking off that guy.
But then, he suddenly furrowed his brow.
Hold on, I never told him my name, so how did he know it?