Ethan had a great night’s sleep, only to be disturbed by the system notification.

[Ding! Northwood free pass, 320 days remaining. Hero detection system blocked, 2 days remaining.]

Then came a knock at the door.

“Are you up yet? Are you up yet?” The voice belonged to the soldier guarding outside.

Ethan sat on the bed, yawning and stretching, his spine popping with the movement. He then yelled towards the door, “Alright, stop knocking.”

“The boss wants to see you, get yourself ready,” the soldier called through the wooden door.

“Okay.”

Ethan washed his face, got dressed, and walked out.

As he opened the door, he saw the soldier standing guard outside, his eyes filled with exhaustion.

He must have kept vigil the whole night, never expecting Ethan to behave so obediently.

Just as the soldier was about to speak, Ethan interrupted him, “I’m going to grab some breakfast first, we’ll talk later.”

With that, Ethan stepped past the soldier and headed for the dining hall.

The soldier was taken aback.

Ethan wasn’t this brash yesterday!

The sudden change in attitude was hard for the soldier to accept.

The soldier was about to put the arrogant man in his place when he recalled Nathan Turner’s previous words.

“Make sure he stays in his room at all times, and ensure his safety. There mustn’t be any accidents, or else, you know the punishment…”

Recalling the mentioned punishment sent chills down his spine.

He quickly followed Ethan, who was getting farther away.

There could be no slip-ups; Ethan had to stay within his sight.

Ethan, hearing the footsteps behind him get closer, showed no reaction, and casually strolled into the dining hall.

Thus, the two of them descended the stairs and out onto the bustling streets.

It was late in the morning, with many vendors peddling fruits, vegetables, and everyday items.

After much searching, Ethan finally found a breakfast shop.

Without hesitation, he walked in, “Boss, can I still get breakfast here?”

Ethan’s voice startled the owner, who quickly turned around, and seeing a stranger, he relaxed a bit.

Smiling awkwardly, he said, “Ah, unfortunately, we’re sold out for today. Please come back tomorrow.”

Ethan raised an eyebrow, pointing at the noodles on the table, “Boss, are you refusing business? Can’t I eat these noodles?”

The shop owner hastily came out from behind the counter, took the noodles off the table, and mumbled, “These noodles…these noodles aren’t good anymore. You should go somewhere else. Here, I’ll give you some money as compensation for my oversight. Does that sound fair?”

The shop owner then moved towards Ethan, presenting a few gold coins in his open palm, which gleamed under the soft light.

Ethan looked at the shop owner, completely puzzled.

Without explaining, the shop owner said with a deep undertone, “I know what you are up to, and I hope you keep this to yourself. These gold coins are merely a deposit, and if our plan comes to fruition, the result… it can’t be measured by mere gold coins!”

Ethan squinted, staring at the shop owner with a puzzled expression.

The shop owner frowned, looked around to make sure no one was watching, and then leaned towards Ethan and whispered, “You’re the Dark Lord, and so am I.”

Ethan was shocked as his biggest secret was spilled out so casually.

His gaze turned murderous, staring daggers at the shop owner.

The shop owner, however, seemed indifferent, simply shrugging his shoulders as if not afraid of Ethan attacking.

Although both of them were Dark Lords, and no one would intervene in a fight between Dark Lords.

But this was Northwood!

In-fighting was strictly forbidden here, especially under the rule of the city lord.

The one who started the fight would be forever restricted from the benefits of Northwood, which naturally included entry rights.𝑶𝑣𝓵xt.𝗇𝓔t

As Ethan and the shop owner were locked in their standoff, there came hurried footsteps from the door.

The soldier following Ethan panted heavily, leaning against the shop entrance.

He pointed at Ethan, but was panting so heavily that he couldn’t speak a word.

The shop owner’s face changed slightly when he saw the soldier’s attire, and his gaze towards Ethan held a hint of confusion.

Without paying any heed to Ethan, he hurriedly retreated to the kitchen, which was soon followed by the clattering sound of utensils.

Ethan quickly connected the dots.

The shop owner must have assumed he had called someone to inspect his shop, which was why he was so nervous.

Why not play along, and kill two birds with one stone!

He turned around, a mysterious expression on his face, “Mate, there seems to be something fishy here. This shop owner got scared like a mouse seeing a cat when he saw you. Maybe you should stop following me for a while and see what’s up here?”

The soldier snorted, “I know what you’re up to, don’t worry. I won’t leave you alone!”

Ethan couldn’t help but shake his head speechlessly.

He didn’t even want to escape, in fact, he was eager to get into the guild, grab a position and proceed with his next plan.

It seemed like he could only act alone now.

He kicked open the kitchen door, shouting, “Everyone, stay where you are!”

Just as Ethan had guessed, the kitchen was bustling with activity.

The smoke filled the room like a magical realm.

The soldier also followed hastily, taken aback by the sight, and quickly announced, “Nobody move! I am an inspector from the guild, and I’m on duty now.”

Ethan immediately shouted, “Copy that!” The soldier looked shocked.

Wasn’t this the same person who was just defiant?

Why was he so obedient now and even volunteering to work?

Ethan didn’t care about all this.

He quickly started searching the kitchen for traces of the shop owner.

He had to deal with him swiftly and cleanly; otherwise, if he managed to reveal Ethan’s identity before dying, despite having people backing him, his work here would face unnecessary suspicion.

To his surprise, after scouring the entire kitchen, Ethan found no trace of the shop owner.

The cloud of dust that filled the air turned out to be just ordinary flour upon questioning the employees, who were just temporary workers, clueless about who the owner was and his whereabouts.

From the moment the shop owner had spotted the soldier, he was already prepared to bolt, flinging flour into the air as a cover, planning to make his escape later.

Ethan squinted, realizing he was up against a formidable opponent.

Meanwhile, all the ruckus in the shop had created quite the stir on the street, even disturbing Rose who lived nearby.

She watched the chaos outside her window, her willowy brows furrowing, her face filled with displeasure.

Her much-needed beauty sleep had been shattered, leaving her wide awake and frustrated.

Rose sighed, shedding her sleep robe.

Her healthy, tan skin mixed with areas of white was quite alluring.

As she sat on her bed, she looked at the conspicuous scar on her calf and muttered to herself, “When will this ever fade? It looks so ugly.”

She slipped on her slippers and headed to the bathroom for a quick shower.

ƥαṇdαs ηθνε| After drying off and slipping into a bathrobe, she approached the window.

By now, the eatery was surrounded by concentric circles of spectators, even the street vendors were not hawking their wares, instead, they were all absorbed in watching the spectacle.

The street was jam-packed with onlookers adding to the clamor, much to Rose’s annoyance.

Just as she was about to go down and take charge of the situation, she spotted a familiar face.

Though the view through her window was somewhat blurry, she could still recognize him by his clothes.

It was ETH, Nathan Turner’s right-hand man.

What puzzled Rose was what he was doing here?

No one knew about this place where she lived.

Everyone in the guild believed she always stayed at the guild.

By rights, even Nathan Turner shouldn’t know about this place.

Could it be that she had been followed yesterday?

Rose’s face turned cold as she realized there was only one plausible reason for ETH’s presence here – surveillance!

But ETH couldn’t do it alone.

The surveillance team must have been at least C-level and adept at hiding, or else they would have been detected by her.

In Northwood, only a few people could send out Heroes with such abilities.

And Nathan Turner happened to be one of them!