Chapter 017: The Heart That Bleeds Blood

“Marquis, don’t rush to give me the diamond cards. I still need to purchase some items from you. After deducting the cost of those items, you can give me the remaining diamond cards. Surely you won’t refuse, right?” Du Fan smiled as he watched Fernando slowly back away.
“Of course not, my lord. Just tell me what you want, and I’ll provide it. How could I possibly accept your gold coins?” Fernando’s body trembled as he stopped in his tracks—he knew he had no way of escaping.
“Hehe, Marquis, don’t be afraid. I only need some simple materials to build the city of Doha, and not in large quantities.”
Huh!
Fernando let out a sigh of relief, thinking to himself: Mengdesha City has very few materials suitable for building cities. The only useful one is iron ore, which is a specialty of the Siluo Province. And this Du Fan actually wants materials from me? Well, I’ll just send you to the warehouse to take a look. If there’s nothing there, you can’t blame me.
With that thought, Marquis Fernando generously said, “Would you like to accompany me to Mengdesha’s warehouse, Duke? Whatever you like, I’ll provide it to you for free. After all, since you’re building Doha, I should do my part as well.”
Shaking his head, Du Fan replied, “The warehouse smells terrible. I won’t go.” Turning around, he ordered, “Barty, go with the head manager of the marquis’s estate to the warehouse. Take whatever you can use. After all, we can’t disappoint the Marquis, right?”
“I’ll go right now,” Barty said, turning and rushing out quickly. He wasn’t just anxious or excited—he could no longer hold back his laughter. He was afraid his laughter might wake Marquis Fernando up.
But Barty still couldn’t hold on. As soon as he reached the moon gate outside, he burst into laughter. His loud laughter immediately filled the hall.
Hearing Barty’s laughter, Marquis Fernando felt like he had been tricked. He didn’t know what the problem was, but he kept reminding himself not to give Du Fan any chance. Now that Du Fan refused to go, Fernando feared Du Fan might use this as an excuse to claim he hadn’t done a good job. He quickly praised Du Fan, saying, “Duke, Mengdesha City’s warehouse is in the left courtyard of the city lord’s residence. It’s very close here, and it’s well-protected. There won’t be any unpleasant smells disturbing you. Besides, there are also some unique treasures donated by other cities. If you like them, you can pick some.”

Hearing about other treasures, Du Fan’s eyes lit up. With a chuckle, he said, “Since the Marquis has invited me so generously, it would be presumptuous of me to refuse. Alright, I’ll go with you to take a look and broaden my horizons.”

Following Du Fan happily, Fernando let out a long sigh. As long as Du Fan left Mengdesha City as soon as possible, his task would be complete. As for dealing with Du Fan in the future, Fernando already had a plan in mind.

“Wow! The Marquis truly lives in grandeur.” Upon arriving at the inn’s entrance, Du Fan glanced at Fernando’s carriage and then at his own, exclaiming in admiration.

“The Duke is frugal and serves as our role model. I don’t need this carriage either. How about I give it to the Duke?” When Fernando saw Du Fan’s shabby two-wheeled carriage, his expression darkened. He knew his own carriage was also in danger. But despite the pain, compared to ten times the compensation, what was this carriage worth? Gathering his composure, Fernando quickly tried to flatter him.

“Hehe, then thank you very much, Marquis.” With a laugh, Du Fan boarded the luxurious eight-wheeled carriage, while Old Mark continued to act as the driver.

“This inside is truly luxurious. It must be the Marquis’s favorite. It seems I’ve really taken what you cherish.” Du Fan explored every corner of the carriage, looking around in awe.

Seeing Du Fan’s reaction, Fernando’s heart sank completely. If this duke, who found everything new, entered the warehouse, what would remain? At that moment, Fernando faintly realized that inviting Du Fan had been a mistake—a serious one at that.

Amidst Du Fan’s curiosity and Fernando’s anxiety, the carriage arrived at the city lord’s mansion and stopped in front of a towering building.

“Today, the Marquis has truly broadened my horizons. Even the warehouse is so luxurious,” Du Fan praised as he got off the carriage. Yet to Fernando’s ears, those words sounded harsh and unbearable.

Compared to the outside, the warehouse was even more spacious. This semi-underground palace-like structure was almost half the size of the city lord’s mansion.

As soon as they entered the warehouse, a passage wide enough for two carriages side by side appeared before them. Eternal lamps burned quietly on both sides of the passage. Although it was completely enclosed, there was no sense of stuffiness, not even any unpleasant musty smell.

On either side of the corridor were four large iron doors. The thick iron plates were enough to intimidate ordinary warriors, and with the huge copper locks on top, even ordinary thieves would likely be unable to enter.
Pointing at the four doors, Marquis Fernando explained, “The first door on the left is used for storing food and similar items. It’s not used regularly; it’s only activated during wars. The second door on the left contains some supplies, but now there’s nothing there except for some forged iron bars. The first door on the right is used for storing weapons and equipment, but it only holds ordinary weapons and gear that my private army discards regularly. As for the second door on the right, it’s the treasure room. Due to the recent invasion by the Lani Empire, its contents are still what I brought when I first arrived here.”
Walking slowly into the corridor, Du Fan headed straight to the left. What he lacked now was iron ore, and having obtained forged iron bars only made him happier.
With a slight push of his finger, the huge copper lock broke into several pieces. To Fernando’s astonishment, Du Fan easily pushed open the massive iron doors with just one hand.
Whoa!
Du Fan was stunned. He had thought the warehouse was large, but still limited. Yet when he saw what was inside, he was completely captivated by it.
Iron bars glowing with a black light were neatly arranged throughout the warehouse. Looking through the gaps between them, Du Fan couldn’t even see the bottom of the warehouse.
“Marquis Fernando, how many iron bars are there here?” Du Fan called out to Fernando and asked, pointing at the bars.
“Your Excellency, there are as many as fifty thousand pounds of these iron bars. The warehouse is already completely filled. Even the soldiers from the Lani Empire wouldn’t want to take them away,” Fernando said, genuinely pleased. He hoped Du Fan would take some of the iron bars, as he didn’t need them himself. Transporting such a large amount would require many carts, and Du Fan could carry away at most a few thousand pounds. If Du Fan took the iron bars, he wouldn’t be able to take anything else. This would be the ideal outcome for Marquis Fernando.
Hmm!
Du Fan said nothing and turned toward the iron door on the right.
Using the same method, he opened the door. Inside the spacious warehouse, he couldn’t see the opposite wall. In the dim light, a few items were haphazardly placed near the entrance.

Du Fan stepped forward and took a close look. Just as Fernando had said, it was only a few trinkets, but Du Fan didn’t overlook them either. With a gentle wave of his hand, everything on the ground vanished instantly, entering his space ring.

After that, Du Fan briefly inspected the other two warehouses before turning and leaving.

It was only then that Marquis Fernando could finally breathe a sigh of relief. After all, being able to keep these supplies he had accumulated over a long time was definitely something worth celebrating.

But before Fernando could rejoice for long, Du Fan’s destructive voice rang out. “Bati, load everything inside onto the cart.”

What? Fernando stared at Du Fan in shock. Although the southern provinces had a fairly developed agriculture, such supplies were extremely scarce. Just the iron bars in the warehouses and the weapons of his private army—Fernando had invested countless efforts to accumulate them. Now that he heard all these supplies would no longer belong to him, he felt like crying.

“Marquis Fernando, you surely can’t disagree, right? After all, these are all needed for the construction of our city of Doha.” Du Fan stared coldly at Fernando, exuding a powerful pressure. Yet he didn’t use any psychic spells, as he wasn’t sure yet whether Fernando was also skilled in both magic and martial arts.

With gritted teeth, Fernando reluctantly nodded. At that moment, he felt as if his heart was bleeding.

Smiling in satisfaction, Du Fan continued, staring into Fernando’s eyes, “Since everything is gone, these iron doors are useless anyway. It’s just right that Doha doesn’t even have city gates.”

Boom!

Fernando immediately felt the world spinning. A flame of anger began to ignite in his heart, ready to explode at any moment.

I must stay calm. I must stay calm. Duke Wade’s secret letter told me not to provoke Du Fan for now, at least not openly.

Forcing down his anger, Fernando kept reminding himself.

“Thank you, Marquis, for your generosity. I’m also quite tired. You don’t need to accompany me; I’ll rest at the inn by myself.” With a laugh, Du Fan got onto his cart and left. Only a dazed Fernando remained in the large courtyard.