The Stonehearted Knight
Chapter 271: Lord Red Hare (1)

Chapter 271: Lord Red Hare (1)

Knock. Knock.

The knock on the door broke Hex’s immersion in the wonders his room offered. Within a few hours, his mind and body felt at peace.

The flower-scented bath did half of the job by itself. He had spent days trekking through the central area. And then he spent nights scouting, observing, and scheming. Not the mention, the avalanche of perilous situations, one after the other.

Hex hadn’t realized it but he was on the verge of collapsing. Mentally. Only now, when he lay in the soft bed, bathed and fed, did he understand how important the rest was. Even the souls in his mind seemed to be purring.

’I need to read the diary...’

’...and I need to check the scroll...’

’...later.’

His muscles protested as he stood up. His mind conjured lists of excuses to give to the visitor to send the person away.

"Am I disturbing? Lord."

Even on good days Hex felt irritated by Sterling’s smile. Now, disturbed, he wished to punch the white teeth in and slam the door shut. Why he didn’t and instead invited the man in, remained a mystery to him.

"I see you were relaxing." He stated the obvious, making it hard to tolerate him.

"I see you aren’t," Hex replied. He hoped the glare he gave relayed the message.

"Yeah," Sterling gave a sheepish smile and plunged himself down into the sofa chair. He picked a red fruit from the table and munched. "I rather relax with the twins too but we need to talk."

Hex sighed and sat on the bed. He rather sleep but Sterling was right. They needed to talk.

"First thing first," Hex started, "what’s your plan? Not only here but overall. I doubt you saved me, helped me, and came here, on a fluke. And be honest. As honest as a merchant can be." He added in the last part in the end.

"A good merchant is always honest with his partners," Sterling replied, looking serious for a second. "My plan is simple. As soon as I realized Ella and the Union supported that so-called Divine Lord, I knew I had to get away. There is no way I am going to kiss some dude’s ass."

"Not even if it brought you wealth?" Hex raised a brow. He didn’t hide his skepticism.

"No. You seem to have some misguided opinion about me," Sterling said. "I like treasures and true wealth. Like you, many people believe that to be coins. But to me, true wealth is something not easy to acquire. Certainly not by throwing some coins. Free will, health, power, the hearts of ladies – not to do some weird stuff like offering them – all those things are some of the greatest treasures in the world. I pursue those things."

Hearing the silver-haired man’s definition of wealth, Hex felt like he needed to adjust his impression of the young man. But he needed to observe a bit. For now, he asked something else.

"And how do I fit in all this?"

"You are someone chosen by the baron. That was the first reason I reached out to you. And even if I didn’t consider you as someone worthy, I have to now. I don’t know anyone who has seen Heaven’s Vault, who faced Sinners, Heaven and Fate, and still walks around as if it’s just another day."

’I did those things, didn’t I?’ Hearing the things he did and survived from someone else felt weird. And marvelous at the same time. But there was something he wished to know too.

"How do you know I am a Fateless?"

"Information is easy to acquire if you know people. The Silver Serpents slither everywhere. Even when I broke off with the Union, I still have my people around. Some people talk. Other listen. Then they talk to others." Sterling shrugged. He didn’t wish to disclose his source. Hex was fine with it.

"Anyway. I am now on my own. This is my team. I have two objectives. Gather treasures before this world goes bananas and bring Grandpa to the coast. And this Lord Red Hare can help with the first one."

"How?" Hex didn’t ask about the coast thing. He didn’t expect Sterling to reply. It involved the secrets of an Enlightened Knight after all.

"The sandstorm, of course," Sterling said as if it explained everything. But it didn’t. Not to Hex. So, he kept staring at Sterling.

"Oh come on. Think about it. Bashar went out of his way to inspect the aftermath of the sandstorm. He stumbles upon a nest of Sandsnares. And then he returns with our help."

"So?" Hex didn’t see the problem.

"Do you seriously believe someone who lived his life in these parts of the land, can’t spot a nest of Sandsnares? Bashar isn’t just a local. He is an Elite and the leader of his tribe. I bet he found something. And he hurried to here. I bet my ass that there is something of great value. And if we play our cards right at the dinner, we might win a share in it."

"You gathered all that from so few clues?" Hex stared at the silver-haired man. He wanted to refute. He didn’t sense anything. But Sterling made sense. A lot of sense.

Sterling grinned.

"You need to convince the Dunelord about our abilities without being seen as a threat. Dunelords are respected but seldom have capable personnel to execute all the tasks. As soon as someone becomes a Lord, they wander off to conquer their own little piece to rule. So, even a two-spire Lord might only have Elites under them. So, they hire traveling Lords to help them. But they won’t risk partnering with someone who could rival their strength. Get it?"

Hex nodded. He agreed because he required resources. A lot of resources. At the same time, he could use this opportunity to consolidate his stage. In the truest sense, he wasn’t a Refined Knight yet. Almost but still not.

...

Nashar arrived on time to escort them to his lord. Sterling and he agreed to attend the dinner with the two of them. Bringing more people would only complicate things. Gronke and the captain were hidden cards to ensure a way out if things went south.

His room had impressed him already, but when Hex arrived at the dining room, he felt a whole new level of awe. The walls glistened with small red grains of sand. The polished red tiles shone and reflected his silhouette. The ceiling was made of red glass. Somehow, all the red hues didn’t irritate the eyes. It felt just right.

The Lord was already present. According to Sterling, this was custom. The Lord welcomed their guests before offering a meal.

"Welcome, Lord Fateless Hex."

Lord Red Hare stood up and welcomed them with a warm smile. Hex looked up at the man. Literally. Lord Red Hare towered high above them. But his height wasn’t the most eye-catching thing about him. His long hindlegs and long, tapered ears