But before he could even shout a few words, the sound abruptly ceased, because Field grabbed his throat, lifting the two-hundred-pound man with one hand.
"I warned you," Field said lightly, turning to look at the Crab Gang members. Where his gaze fell, they all retreated, fear evident in their eyes.
The formidable boss of the Crab Gang, normally akin to an iron vice in their eyes, now seemed like a helpless chick in Field's grip, his life held in a tight grasp. They dared not make a move against Field.
Some even dropped their weapons when Field glanced at them, raising their hands to show they posed no threat.
Field withdrew his gaze, smiling as he looked at the agonized face of Sains.
"Don't... don't kill me... I... I was wrong..." Sains could feel the imminent threat, his intact hand gripping Field's arm as he struggled to speak.
He tried to break free, but Field's arm was like a true iron vice, unmoved by his efforts.
Field shook his head. "Tsk tsk tsk, why bother?"
His grip tightened, and Sains's eyes widened, as if they were about to pop out of their sockets.
But just then, a furious shout rang out. "Move aside, move aside, what are you all doing gathered here?!"
Field sneered.
The enforcer had arrived.
Several lawmen, clad in their uniforms, rudely pushed their way through the crowd.
The leader was about to angrily reprimand Field for his street violence, but when he saw what Field held in his hand, his curses took an abrupt turn.
"What the... what are you guys doing?"
Instantly, Field put on an innocent smile. "Hahaha, officer, it's all a misunderstanding, we're just arm wrestling."
Arm wrestling?
The enforcer glanced at the bloody vice on the ground, cursing inwardly. Did they take us for fools? Arm wrestling that can tear off a hand, and choking someone's neck?
But he could only curse silently.
Though enforcers appeared authoritative on the surface, they were just a cog in the gray industry chain of the city.
The enforcer recognized Sains in Field's grasp. Although he didn't know who Field was, anyone who could handle Sains like a ragdoll was definitely not ordinary.
So at that moment, he didn't speak, but looked at Sains.
Field, meanwhile, was affectionately holding Sains's shoulder, smiling beside him. "Right, bro, aren't we just arm wrestling?"
As he spoke, the large hand resting on Sains's shoulder lightly patted his cheek, the threat evident, even to the enforcer.
Sains, clutching his severed arm, looked at Field fearfully, then forced a painful smile, nodding repeatedly. "Yes, yes, officer, we were just arm wrestling. This arm, it's just because I ate too much seafood, and my bones became brittle. It has nothing to do with my brother here, hehehe..."
The enforcer: "..."
Eating too much seafood makes your bones brittle?
And you're sweating cold, blood flowing from your arm, how did you say that?
But the enforcer knew the rules. Since both parties said so, he didn't want to stir up trouble. He nodded. "Be more careful next time, arm wrestling shouldn't look like attempted murder."
"Haha, got it, no next time." Field nodded with a smile.
The enforcer waved his hand. "Disperse, nothing to see here!"
After dispersing the crowd, the enforcer glanced at Field and then left.
Field nodded, then turned to Sains, his face showing a gentle smile again.
"So, my emotional distress compensation, hammer maintenance fee, and the additional task delay fee and nail grooming fee now..."
"Give... I'll give..." Sains hurriedly said.
Field nodded, tilting his chin as he thought. "How much was it again?"
"One... one thousand gold?" Sains tentatively said.
"Hmm?" Field raised an eyebrow, his hand already reaching for Sains's neck.
Sains quickly corrected himself. "Twenty thousand, I mean twenty thousand!"
Field clicked his tongue, gesturing with his hand. "Look at my nails, they were just scratched by your pliers. You know, manicures aren't cheap these days."
Sains: "..."
It was just a white mark, wipe it with a spit!
And what's the use of a two-meter-tall guy getting a manicure!
But Sains didn't dare object; he knew Field was threatening him, so he gritted his teeth. "Thirty thousand... that's all I have."
"Ha?" Field raised his eyebrows, a smirk on his face. "Is the boss of a gang really this poor?"
"Boss, it's expensive to feed over two hundred men," Sains almost cried. "And I also have a mercenary tavern, which barely makes any money. It's just a tool for expanding business, and most of the earnings go into the inner city. I drink leftover soup; it's not easy to save thirty thousand..."
Field wasn't interested in Sains's sob story, showing impatience on his face. "Thirty thousand it is then, let your men bring it over, and you'll be released when I see the money."
Upon hearing this, Sains quickly yelled to his men nearby, "What are you waiting for, go get the money!"
The group of men looked at each other, then hurriedly went to retrieve the money.
They were quite loyal; none of them ran away with the money. Soon, the money was brought over.
Or rather, it was moved. A safe, carried on a carriage, was brought over.
Field raised his chin, and Sains quickly stepped forward to open the safe.
His face was pale from the pain, but to save his life, he had no choice.
Don't forget, his severed arm was still bleeding, and he was feeling dizzy. If this went on, he'd die here.
Opening the safe, it was filled with several large bags of gold coins. Field assessed it.
It was exactly thirty thousand gold coins.
But not a coin more.
"Boss, see, now..." Sains, clutching his severed arm, had a pale face but still forced a smile.
"Get lost," Field waved his hand.
"Ah, okay!" Sains felt like he'd been pardoned, quickly leading his men to leave.
"Wait." Suddenly, Field's voice came.
Sains trembled all over, then turned around shakily. "Boss, do you have any more orders?"
Field pulled out a cigarette, lit it, took a few puffs, then walked up to Sains.
At this point, Sains was hunched over in pain, like a fat dog.
Field, towering over him, bent down, exhaling a puff of smoke into his face.
Sains's eyes were sore, his mouth twitching, but he could only maintain a flattering smile.
"If you want revenge, I'm ready anytime. But next time, I'll tear you apart along with your inner city protection."
"I dare not, I dare not..." Sains bowed his head, unable to meet Field's aggressively strong gaze.
"You better not," Field patted his shoulder, then grinned, "And let me tell you, there are people behind me too."
"Do you know the
"Do you know about the Wind Chanters?" Sains instantly raised his head, looking at Field incredulously.
"It seems like you do," Field smiled happily, without saying more.
"Alright, scram." Watching Sains and the others leave in a sorry state, Field pinched the cigarette in his mouth, taking a deep drag before exhaling a thick cloud of smoke.
He and the lord of Grilah City, the Wind Chanter Mel, of course had no connection whatsoever. It was just a matter of using someone else's name to scare people.
With this, Sains and his backers, if they wanted revenge, would have to reconsider. It would save a lot of trouble.
Even if he was found out, it didn't matter. He could handle it anyway.
Before long, the cigarette was finished.
Field turned to look at Nick not far away, showing a friendly smile. "Boss Nick, I'm here to deliver the task."
"This is your additional commission," Nick handed a bag of money to Field.
Field took it, weighing it in his hand, then said, "Isn't this a bit too much?"
This weight, at least fifteen or sixteen pounds.
A gold coin weighs about eight grams. After all, it's not pure gold, it's mixed with other metals, so it's over a thousand coins more.
"You've excellently completed the task, so the extra is my personal thanks to you, along with a little token," Nick said, rubbing his hands with a smile.
"You're really generous. I like dealing with generous people," Field laughed heartily.
"Alright, Boss Nick, in the future, if you need anything, you can come to the Seafowl Tavern anytime to commission tasks with the landlady. I'll be there for quite some time to come, accepting tasks."
Field added, "Gold-level tasks and above."
"Of course, I'll come!" Nick nodded, his eyes gleaming as he looked at Field.
"Haha, looking forward to your visit. And I'll rely on you to spread the word to your friends that a great mercenary has come to Harbor City."
"I'm more than happy to do that!"
"Thank you. Well, I'll be off. Goodbye."
"Goodbye, Mr. Field."
Watching Field's departing figure, Nick felt a slight sense of emotion.
Harbor City has gained another remarkable individual.
With a bag full of gold coins and a pile of equipment provided by the Crab Gang, leaving the dock, Field's presence was quite eye-catching.
So, Field thought about buying a new storage ring.
Storage rings weren't cheap.
The lowest-grade ones, without spatial extension, cost eight hundred gold coins for a cubic meter.
Grandpa's ring had over a hundred cubic meters, and it had spatial extension, meaning the space inside changed according to the stored items, ensuring no wasted space. Field estimated it would cost at least a hundred thousand gold coins.
What did Grandpa do anyway?
If he was really a soldier, then he must have been quite a high-ranking officer. Field wondered why he would want to return to his hometown to become a blacksmith.
Field thought about it and then came to a equipment store in the outer city.
This was a branch of the Chamber of Commerce's industry, which not only sold storage rings but also various other equipment.
However, probably because it was located in the outer city, the variety and quality weren't top-notch, with the best equipment only suitable for Gold-level use.
But it was enough.
Field bought a ring with ten cubic meters of space and spatial extension for twelve thousand gold coins. He also sold the Crab Gang's equipment to the store, earning over eleven hundred gold coins.
The main reason for buying the ring was convenience. In the future, when obtaining task materials, he wouldn't need to carry them around or worry about losing or damaging them. Overall, it would be useful.
In fact, he could take out the contents of Grandpa's ring and store them elsewhere in a warehouse, freeing up space for the ring.
However, inside were various metallic mineral materials left by Grandpa, some of which were quite valuable, especially after refinement. There was also a whole set of blacksmith equipment, and Field didn't feel comfortable leaving them elsewhere.
Field thought that he would need these things when he needed equipment in the future.
After tossing the gold coins into the storage ring, Field whistled and headed towards the orphanage.
In no time, he arrived at the orphanage.
The children weren't playing in the yard; they should all be inside. Field could hear Holland, Qiqi, and the children laughing, indicating that it was quite lively inside.
Field's heart stirred, and he quickened his pace.
However, when he reached the front of the house, he didn't immediately go in.
Because through the window on the other side, Field saw the silhouette of the mushroom girl.
So, for some reason, Field didn't make a sound but secretly observed.
It was the kitchen window.
Field saw Vina with her back to him, as if she was preparing fruit.
The fruit should be freshly bought; it was very fresh. It seemed to be for welcoming Holland, after all, he was also considered a benefactor of the orphanage.
After cutting the fruit into a plate, Vina took it out, and Field noticed that Vina also prepared a small plate, and not all the fruit was cut.
After serving the fruit plate, Vina returned to the kitchen, cut the remaining fruit, put it in the small plate, then placed it aside for some reason.
Then Vina took out a wooden kettle.
Field remembered that it was the kettle she used to pour wine for herself before, and she returned it to her after he finished drinking. The kettle was already cleaned, and Vina placed it on the table, then took out a bottle of wine from the cabinet.
Field recognized the packaging; it was a bottle of rum that cost eighty gold coins!
Vina opened the wooden stopper, then carefully aimed the bottle mouth at the kettle mouth, leaned forward, and steadily poured the liquor into the kettle.
Field chuckled.
This wine could have been simply poured straight from the bottle. Why bother with this hassle?
Perhaps she thought that drinking too much at once wasn't good. The kettle had limited capacity, so she could control her alcohol intake.
As Field thought this, he suddenly saw Vina shake the bottle.
It seemed there was no more wine.
Vina hugged the bottle, aimed the mouth at herself, as if confirming that there was really no wine left in the bottle.
Then she tilted the bottle and poured a few drops of liquor into her mouth.
The last drop of wine dripped particularly slowly, but Vina was very patient, waiting for a while until the last drop of wine dripped into the kettle mouth before she sealed the bottle with the wooden stopper, put it back in place, evidently not intending to throw away the empty bottle but planning to use it later.
She's really a thrifty and housewifely girl.