Sean left with the Crab Gang members, while Caius remained seated, sipping his drink as he examined the address Sean had written.

  "His handwriting is awful. I can barely recognize what he wrote," Caius muttered.

  "Let me see," Yvlan said, taking the note from Caius and glancing at it. "Yeah, his handwriting is terrible. But I know this place—it's located at..."

  After Yvlan told him the address, Caius nodded and memorized it.

  "So, you're really going to meet that 'Iron Fist'?" Yvlan asked, eyeing him skeptically.

  "Why not? He seems to be an influential middleman. Of course, I have to make contact," Caius replied matter-of-factly.

  "Aren't you worried he might be luring you into a trap?" Yvlan couldn't help but ask.

  "Heh, anyone who manages to establish a reputation wouldn't be foolish enough to pull something like that. And if he actually tries, I guarantee he'll regret ever being born into this world," Caius said nonchalantly.

  Yvlan sighed helplessly. This big guy's courage truly knew no bounds.

  But that was also what Yvlan admired most about him. His confidence was something most people could never imitate.

  "Oh, right—I almost forgot. Time to submit the quest." Caius retrieved a small pouch of quest coins and handed it to Yvlan.

  Yvlan checked the pouch and picked out a platinum quest coin. "You completed a platinum-tier quest?"

  "Mhm," Caius nodded. "I just happened to stumble upon the corpse of a Crystalith Serpent."

  Yvlan: "..."

  Seeing Yvlan's skeptical expression, Caius merely chuckled without offering further explanation.

  After all, the quest was completed, the materials had been submitted, and he had received his reward from the client. That was all that mattered.

  Yvlan didn't dwell on it too much either, though she was impressed by Caius's efficiency.

  He had claimed he would complete the quest within ten days.

  Yet it had barely been three.

  What a monster.

  "Since you handed the quest materials to Instructor Holan, and since she was merely the commissioner without leaving an advance deposit... did you ask her for compensation?" Yvlan asked.

  Caius glanced at her, noticing how much she seemed to care about this. He then nodded.

  "Of course. Look," he said, retrieving the Magic Array Plate Holan had given him. "Worth tens of thousands. So I exchanged it for this."

  "A long-distance Teleportation Magic Array Plate?!" Yvlan took it, curiously examining it. "This thing isn't cheap. Even if you have money, it's hard to get."

  "Exactly. Now do you believe me? There's nothing between us. I just took the rightful commission," Caius snorted.

  Yvlan chuckled and returned the Magic Array Plate to him with a smug expression. "I don't believe you."

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  Despite her words, she looked pleased, her steps even becoming lighter. She then asked, "You haven't eaten yet, have you? There's fresh Giant Claw Crab today. Want a serving? My treat."

  "Really? The deluxe Giant Claw Crab platter isn't cheap. One order costs over three hundred gold coins."

  "You helped boost the tavern's rating. Treating you to some Giant Claw Crab is nothing," Yvlan said, raising her chin slightly. "Want it or not? If you don't, I'll put it up for order. Plenty of people are waiting in line for it."

  "Of course I want it!" Caius grinned.

  Before long, the fragrant Giant Claw Crab was served.

  Damn, the crab shell alone was over a meter in diameter, and the claws were thicker than Kiki's waist. The serving plate was so large it could fit two Kikis lying down, and it came with an array of seafood side dishes.

  This was the deluxe platter—a twelve-person serving.

  Caius and Kiki dug in, their mouths dripping with oil, completely satisfied.

  The mercenaries in the tavern watched in envy. Even Big Beard couldn't resist coming over, shamelessly mooching a crab leg.

  Caius didn't mind sharing. With such a massive Giant Claw Crab, there was no way he could finish it all. So he called over the Boss Lady, Big Beard, and his teammates to join in.

  They ate and chatted together.

  The burly mercenary's name was Bob, a common name.

  Caius liked Bob—an experienced mercenary with a working style that suited him well.

  Bob led a Silver-tier mercenary squad, and he himself was a Silver Ten-Star. Apparently, he was currently pushing hard to reach Gold rank.

  After a hearty meal, Caius and Kiki became good friends with Bob and his team. They even talked about teaming up for future quests.

  Of course, that was unlikely to happen. Caius's growth rate was something they couldn't keep up with—they simply weren't on the same path.

  But Caius didn't mind making a few drinking buddies along the long and arduous road ahead.

  Once full, Caius picked his teeth, scooped up his little Catgirl companion, and headed toward the Orphanage.

  On the way, he grabbed some meat, eggs, and other ingredients to help nourish the little girls there.

  However, when he arrived, he found that a section of the Orphanage's fence had collapsed, and the iron sign reading "Lunla Orphanage" had been knocked to the ground, covered in footprints.

  In an instant, Caius's gaze turned ice-cold.

  He strode into the Orphanage, pushing the door open, only to find Granny Lunla quietly knitting a sweater. The children huddled around her, learning how to knit, as if nothing had happened.

  Seeing that they were unharmed, Caius let out a breath of relief. Then he asked, "Did someone cause trouble here?"

  "Uh..." Granny Lunla hesitated, as if debating whether to tell Caius.

  Just then, Tina ran over, grabbing Caius's hand, her face filled with anger. Her eyes were red, as if she'd been crying.

  "Big guy, someone bullied us! They even tried to hit us! If it weren't for an enforcer passing by, Granny would have been hurt!"

  Caius took a deep breath and looked at Granny Lunla.

  She sighed and said, "We don't know who they are, but they've been targeting us for months. They want to buy the Orphanage land... for five hundred gold coins."

  "I refused, so they come by every so often. This morning was their fourth visit."

  "Does Belle know?" Caius asked.

  "She doesn't. She was at school when they came. We've been keeping it from her so she wouldn’t worry," Lunla shook her head.

  "Do you remember what they looked like?" Caius asked.

  This time, Tina answered first. "I do! One of them had a big nose—he kicked down the fence and cursed at Granny."

  "I remember too! There was a tall, skinny one whose chin and neck looked like they were fused together—such an ugly freak!"

  "And they had snake-like tattoos, some on their heads, some on their arms..."

  The children chimed in one after another.

  Caius nodded, narrowing down his suspects.

  Almost certainly gangsters.

  They wanted to buy the land dirt cheap, but for what purpose? That remained unknown. Regardless, Caius had seen this kind of thing often in his previous life on the wastelands. He knew exactly how to handle it.

  "Alright, I got it." Caius crouched down, ruffling Tina and the other girls’ hair before handing them the groceries. "Eat well. I'll go teach those bastards a lesson."

  "Bring back their teeth!" Tina cheered, waving her little fists.

  "Haha, of course!" Caius laughed, instructing Granny Lunla to take care of the kids before turning and heading out with Kiki.

  He needed to vent his frustration.

  Lighting a cigarette, he walked toward trouble.

  .....

  Meanwhile, Sean was lounging in the Crab Tavern, puffing smoke and contemplating his next move.

  Suddenly, a loud bang echoed through the tavern. He jolted, nearly falling off his chair.

  "Who the hell—" he turned to shout but froze mid-sentence.

  "Sorry, miscalculated my strength," Caius said, glancing at the door he had just kicked open before retracting his foot.

  The Crab Gang lackeys swallowed nervously, not daring to utter a word.

  They could tell the big guy was pissed.

  Did their boss provoke him again?

  Damn, was the Crab Gang even a safe place to be anymore?!