Chapter 122: Chapter 121: Identity Exposed, Reputation: Mortal Enemy

"Hey! Look over there!"

"Hiss—is that a manticore!?"

"Yes! And it came out of the Golden Maple Leaf Trading House!"

The Golden Maple Leaf Trading House was already located in the most prime area of Birch Town, surrounded by a cluster of shops. It was early morning, just when everyone was opening up for business, so Jon riding Big Mimi from there naturally drew every eye.

It wasn’t that no one had ever ridden a Demon Beast down the streets before, but how could little things like Split-Horned Horses or Gray Seat Wolves compare to a ferocious behemoth like a manticore?

On top of that, a dark undercurrent was swirling through Birch Town. First, Miss Reya Xavier, daughter of a leader of the Heta County Noble Union Chamber of Commerce, had been attacked multiple times both inside and outside the town, leading to a miraculous rescue. Then, a Knight Level assailant had escaped, triggering a city-wide manhunt.

There were also rumors that Viscount Paris had left to search for his daughter and had yet to return.

One piece of news after another spread, making everyone feel like rabbits hiding in the grass, startled and terrified by the slightest movement.

And now, a young Warrior openly parading through the streets on a rare Demon Beast was undoubtedly poking everyone’s frayed nerves.

Who was he? Where did he come from? Where was he going? What was he planning to do?

These questions flooded everyone’s minds, making them desperate to uncover the truth.

So, those who were about to open their shops didn’t, and those who were about to eat breakfast stopped. The crowd, as if seized by a strange mass hysteria, spilled onto the streets and followed Jon from a distance, wanting to see what he was up to.

And this was exactly the effect Jon wanted.

He knew, of course, that there were bound to be spies from the Blood Eye Association or the Eternal Frost Sect among them.

But he didn’t care.

He was going to muddy the waters. That way, these hidden rats would be brave enough to pop their heads out and show their tails!

Normally, it wouldn’t have taken long to cross Birch Town at Big Mimi’s pace, but Jon deliberately kept it at a walking gait. Only when the crowd behind him had swelled into a tide of people, forcing the town guards to intervene and control the chaos, did he finally pick up the speed and arrive before the Lord’s Mansion of Birch Town.

As the master of a prosperous place like Birch Town, and also one of the major shareholders of the Heta County Noble Union Chamber of Commerce, Viscount Paris’s assets far exceeded those of some high nobles with loftier titles.

Therefore, whether for the sake of appearances or personal enjoyment, his Lord’s Mansion was naturally the height of luxury.

The entire estate faced west, directly opposite Birch Town’s west gate. In front of it was a large plaza paved with hard white stone, where temperature-regulating Magic allowed the sculpted fountains to flow freely even in the dead of winter.

On either side of the plaza, the parking area for carriages and horses consisted of individual pavilions, adorned with flowerbeds outside and attended by dedicated servants with incense burning within.

With even these external facilities being so exquisitely and meticulously designed, it went without saying that the main residence where the Viscount’s family lived and the side halls where officials worked were even more opulent. They were more lavish and beautiful than many of the modern manors Jon had visited.

This proved one thing: with money, you really could do whatever you wanted.

When Jon arrived at the plaza, a servant with duties similar to a valet immediately came forward to greet him.

Although the young man could barely keep his feet in front of Big Mimi, he still forced himself to call out.

"S-Sir... do you need to board your mount?"

Jon glanced down at him from his high perch, his tone indifferent.

"No need. I’m just here to have a few words with someone. It won’t take long. Just let it wait here."

With that, he stepped on the base of Big Mimi’s wing and leaped down from its back, tapping its nose casually after he landed.

"Stay put. I’ll be back in a bit."

"WRAO..."

The big cat immediately let out a sullen grunt.

’We’ve only been out for a little while, I haven’t even stretched my legs yet!’

But under the tyranny of its unscrupulous master, it still lay down obediently on the ground. Its ice-blue eyes darted around, sizing up the distant flowerbeds, buildings, and the crowd of onlookers.

As a manticore that had grown up deep in the mountains, it was quite curious about all these strange things.

Yet, even when it appeared so harmless, none of the onlookers dared to approach, only watching from a safe distance.

"This Knight is so young... to think he can tame a Demon Beast like a manticore..."

"Someone said he entered the town last night through the main gate and spent the night at the Golden Maple Leaf Trading House. He might be the son of some noble lord from the Noble United Commerce Association!"

"Could he be the fiancé Viscount Yed found for his daughter?"

"Hiss... so young, not bad-looking, and so powerful... It’s very possible..."

Amidst the chattering discussions, a few men, whose faces showed the expressions of curious onlookers but whose eyes were cold and calm, watched Jon’s back disappear toward the Lord’s Mansion before silently exchanging glances.

Immediately, one of them broke away from the crowd and slipped into a small house.

"Sir, it’s confirmed. It’s the young man from the intel, the one suspected of being a Saint Knight."

"Is that so... He’s finally shown his face..."

The burly, fleshy-faced man stroked his forehead, a cold glint in his eyes.

"Being so ostentatious is clearly a provocation... but he doesn’t know what kind of power he’s about to face..."

He turned to his subordinate, his voice chilling.

"Go. Send some men to cause him some trouble... Isn’t he suspected of being a Saint Knight? Then use the same methods we use against those do-gooders on him!"

"Whether it succeeds or not, make him suffer!"

"Yes, sir!"

Meanwhile, as Jon walked down the corridor leading to the officials’ administrative hall, a line of text suddenly popped up before his eyes, making his heart skip a beat.

’Hoh, so they’ve finally noticed me?’

——

[Reputation with Blood Eye Association has decreased. Current reputation level: Mortal Enemy (0/0)]

[Warning: This faction will launch all possible attacks against you.]

——

Ever since rescuing Reya, he had kept his identity well hidden, not even being exposed during the ambush in town.

But now that he had deliberately revealed himself and acted so flamboyantly, the Blood Eye Association had naturally identified him and marked him as a mortal enemy!

In a way, the reputation system passively created a kind of information asymmetry.

If you did something that would cause your reputation with a faction to drop, as long as you cleaned up your tracks and weren’t discovered, your reputation wouldn’t decrease.

You could even continue to do quests for that faction!

But once you were exposed, the drop in reputation would immediately be reflected on your status panel, serving as a sort of indirect warning.

Since his reputation had now dropped, it meant his identity had been confirmed by the Blood Eye Association, and they now officially considered him an enemy!

But this was nothing to be afraid of.

A premeditated attack against an unsuspecting target was certainly deadly, but once you were on guard, the threat of various plots and schemes was greatly reduced. It was simply a matter of countering each move as it came.

Lost in thought, Jon arrived at the door of the administrative hall.

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