bChapter /bb231 /b

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    On the tablet was thetest message from Connor. The message was brief, just a few words.

    [There’s trouble at the border. Come quickly.]

    Along the border, order or chaos had always been dictated by Connor’s mercenary group. After years of dominating the region, their sheer presence alonemanded obedience from all factions.

    But if even Connor said there was trouble, then things must be serious.

    ‘I wonder who’s behind all this chaos at the border. Now I’m so curious,’ Briar thought.

    She lowered her head, mulling over the words for a moment before handing the tablet back to Ashton. “The border’s in chaos. Is it a good idea for me to go?”

    Ashton kept his expression neutral, but inside, he was secretly amused. “Of course it is. You’re just going to have some fun.”

    ‘She is tantly testing me,‘ Ashton thought. ‘She’s testing my limits, to see just how much trouble I’ll let her stir up before I step in.’

    But now they were heading to the mostwless stretch of border in the world, where even a random passerby could have ties to factions too dangerous to cross.

    With Briar’s ability to stir up trouble, there was no way Ashton would dare let her do whatever she wanted.

    Hearing Ashton’s words, Briar just smiled and said, “Alright, I’m just going to have some fun. As long as no one messes with me, I’ll behave myself.”

    She meant it. If nobody messed with her, she could promise to be good. But if someone started something, all bets were off.

    ‘Also, judging from Connor’s message, if my guess bis /bright, the ones behind the sudden chaos at the border are probably the mysterious Darius and Boyden,‘ Briar thought.

    With Briar’s promise, Ashton looked pleased as he picked up the documents on the table and lowered his head to get back to work.

    Briar unbuttoned her bcoat /band lounged backzily, pulling out a game to kill time. With no inte on the bne/b, she could only y offline ssics, like that old Snake Game everyone used to y on their phones.

    Ian scooted over to join her, and the two yed side by side, betting a hundred pushb–/bups on whose snake

    would bcrash /bfirst.

    After more than ten hours in the air, Ian racked up nearly two thousand push–ups. By the btime /bthey bgot off /bthe bne/b, his arms bwere /btrembling nonstop, barely able to stay still.

    The border in November bwas /beven colder than Shoneport.

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    Fortunately, before they set out, Ashton had already prepared a full–length ck down jacket for Briar. With her hands tucked in and the hood up, it blocked almost all the cold wind.

    As for Ashton, even facing the biting wind, he just changed his thin jacket to a ck wool coat, looking like the cold didn’t bother him at all.

    “Mr. Wade!” Connor and his men had been waiting at the tarmac for ages. The moment they saw Ashton and Briar step off the ne, all his guys shouted out in perfect unison.

    Couldn’t me them. Compared to the Victoria Hotel in Qathana, which Ashton never even bothered to visit, these guys stationed at the border were practically poor souls exiled by him.

    After turning the mercenary group into a powerhouse, Ashton walked away and left it all behind.

    He left everything to others. Even the budget allocations for the border went through Jalen, not him.

    Connor stepped forward with two of his most trusted men and introduced them to Briar. “Miss Jennings, they’re Riley and Artemus. I want them to be your temporary guides. Things might be chaotic here, but the scenery’s great, mountains, rivers, plenty of ces to explore. Let them show you around and act as your bodyguards. Around here, anyone with half a brain will know to stay out of your way.”

    Connor knew what Ian could do, but even the best couldn’t handle everything alone. Out here on the border, flying solo usually meant asking for trouble.

    Riley and Artemus bowed again and greeted in unison, “Hello, Miss Jennings.”

    These two were Connor’s top men, and they knew all about Briar. Far from the delicate young woman people assumed her to be, she was a true force, brutally skilled inbat and ruthlessly efficient in her methods.

    And on this border, strength was the only thing that mattered.

    Ashton looked over the two hulking, bear–sized Riley and Artemus, nodded in approval at their fighting skills, then turned to Briar and said, “They’re not much to look at, but their skills are solid. Each of them could take on ten men at once. If you wander off and run into trouble, they’ll be able to hold the fort for a bit.”

    Riley and Artemus were speechless, thinking, ‘Sure, Mr. Wade was praising us, but why did it sound so off? That hurt a little.’

    Since Ashton thought these two were good, Briar could only nod, albeit a bit reluctantly. “Alright, you two cane along.”

    ‘Actually, these two are Ashton’s eyes and ears, right?‘ Briar thought. “They’re probably here to keep me from running off.

    As soon as Briar gave the nod, Riley and Artemus swiftly moved behind her, exchanging looks with Ian, who

    was all skin and bonesb. /b

    ‘Wait, is this twig Miss Jennings‘ bodyguard? With that build, if things bgo /bsouth, is he protecting her, or is she going to have to save his skin?‘ Riley and Artemus couldn’t help but wonder.

    Ian bristled with hostility as he thought, “The auraing off these two is intense. Just how many people have

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    they taken down to get that kind of vibe? Why did they send two heavy hitters to stick to Briar? Does that mean this border trip is going to be even more dangerous than we thought?’

    Riley and Artemus stared hard at Ian. ‘Wait, this guy looks familiar. Have we tangled with him somewhere before?‘ they wondered.

    Anyone who’d ever gone up against Riley and Artemus was never some harmless type. They were all ruthless, dangerous people.

    They assumed Ian must have some real skills.

    The moment the three of them sized each other up, the air was thick with mutual hostility and wariness.

    They were all hardened veterans who’d seen their share of bloodshed, able to spot danger in an instant.

    “Hey, you look kinda familiar. Wanna find some time to go a few rounds?” Riley forced a grin, still unsettled by the way Ian was staring him down.

    Ian never backed down from a fight. He casually swung his still–trembling arms behind his back and said, “Sure, bring it on.”

    Briar was speechless when she saw that.

    The car drove back for an hour before pulling into a sprawling estate nestled halfway up a mountainside. There were five mansions in total, built on the hillside with the unique architectural style of Dasmieca.

    These magnificent estates radiated grandeur while retaining timeless elegance. More importantly, the five manors stood in perfect synergy, each capable of transforming into an independent stronghold when danger

    arose.

    The grounds were perfect, the facilities top–notch, and it could amodate arge number of people. Briar quickly did the math and figured it could probably house around two thousand people.

    But such an impregnable stronghold came at a steep price. The annual maintenance costs alone were astronomical.

    She figured only someone as loaded as Ashton could afford to keep it up.

    Their car pulled up onto thewn of the central mansion, and a man in his sixties, with perfectlybed hair and dressed in a crisp ck tailcoat, immediately stepped forward to open the door for Ashton.

    “Wee, Mr. Wade. Wee, Miss Jennings,” he said with a respectful nod.

    Ashton turned to Briar and introduced him, “This is Mr. Vince. He used to serve my grandfather back in the day.