CHAPTER 69: WESLEY LIVINGSTONE

Wesley Livingstone’s speech caused the crowd to subside somewhat, with those directly next to him moving aside to make way for him.

Despite the crowd’s fervor earlier in wanting to place bets and watching how the drama would continue, their current expression revealed some dread.

It appeared that they were quite fearful of the man, Wesley Livignstone.

Meanwhile, Leonard calmly turned around and held his gaze on the third party with an indifferent expression.

Wesley was dressed in formal suit clothing, his right hand holding a walking cane with the tip shaped like a phoenix, a representative of the Valodria Continent Emblem. But it wasn’t quite the same, granted the official emblem was twin phoenixes, whereas Wesley’s cane tip only had one phoenix.

’Finally decided to show up, huh?’ Leonard mused inwardly.

He had already read the files compiled by the Crimson Guards about each significant person in Velastra.

And one of them happened to be precisely the man in front of him: Wesley.

The man held significant power over many merchants in the guild, granted that he was of platinum rank. Moreover, Leonard had seen his face previously during the time when people were greeting his impersonator back at the Northern Dock.

While Leonard held an indifferent expression, the others were nearly petrified on the spot. This was especially true for Abel, Darren, and Jeffrey.

"Sir, this is the Merchant Guild’s highest representative in Velastra, platinum medal Lord Wesley Livingstone." Jeffrey hurriedly whispered to him and warned him sternly. The warning was a stark contrast from his previous warning, which was more lighthearted.

He even went as far as addressing the latter as Lord rather than Sir, Merchant, or Mister.

Wesley ignored the commotion caused by him and calmly gazed at Leonard.

"Many people address me as Lord Wesley, but you can call me Wesley or just a merchant." He said in a casual tone. Nevertheless, the casualness was laced with hidden blades.

Wesley wasn’t trying to greet him normally. Instead, he was trying to test his reaction and his stance on his earlier claim in taking charge of the situation.

’The rat has taken the bait.’ Leonard thought. His appearance in such a timely manner wasn’t a coincidence.

He reckoned the city guard who had been acting as his tour guide was the one leaking out information under the guise of touring.

Despite knowing it, he didn’t plan to expose the latter. Similar to how Jeffrey could leverage any information obtained from him as bonuses, the same could be said for him.

By purposely leaking out subtle information but critical kinds occasionally, he essentially created his unique painting on a canvas.

"Lord Wesley is of platinum rank. I’m just a measly gold rank. Of course, you can arbitrate the matter however you desire." Leonard responded calmly.

’Hoh, not bad.’ Wesley nodded slightly, seemingly impressed by his response.

On one hand, Leonard lowered himself without undermining his influence. But on the other hand, Leonard subtly implied that even if Wesley wanted to twist the situation to Abel’s favor, he could only accept the outcome.

"Lord Wesley, please save me." Amidst the tension of their conversation, Abel’s face had long turned purplish.

Mirelle had not once lessened the pressure imposed on him. On the contrary, she had been repeatedly increasing the pressure.

She wouldn’t kill Abel because there was no specific order, but at the very least, she could make it a living hell for Abel.

In response to Abel’s pleas, Wesley didn’t say anything and only stared at Leonard.

A few seconds later, Leonard snapped his fingers, signaling to Mirelle to release the pressure. Now that he had lured out the main target, there was no need to bother with Abel.

Nevertheless, he kept the Meyers family in mind.

’A mere Castellan family could strut their weight around in Velastra. What a free trade city.’ He sneered inwardly.

Sometime later, Abel took in multiple deep breaths as he hurriedly rushed to Wesley’s side.

"Lord Wesley, you must really help me find justice." Tears started to drop from the corner of his eyes as he began to explain his side of the story.

Just like any merchant who had finished a long day of discussion or transaction, he went to the pleasure house, hoping to release some of the accumulated stress.

Yet before he could even enjoy anything, the whore he paid in real money had fled.

And in the blink of an eye, he overheard news that the Manager was planning to give away the said whore and his paid money to another person when he was waiting in the chamber.

How could anyone swallow such an unjust situation?

When the crowd listened to Abel’s side of the story, they suddenly felt sorry for the latter.

He was a paying customer, not some dine-and-dasher.

Moreover, the earlier outbursts and disrespect were now considered justified to the public. Such injustice would naturally cause one to lose their temper, and accidentally having a slip of the tongue was common.

Sometime later, Wesley nodded his head and raised his hand to stop Abel from continuing further.

The general gist of the situation was revealed to the crowd, and that was enough. There was no need for any of them to hear about his mood for pleasures.

"It seems like this situation stemmed from a misunderstanding." Wesley chuckled softly and shifted his attention to Leonard.

Almost immediately, the crowd thought Wesley was siding with Abel and going to rule against Leonard. But to their astonishment, he didn’t rule him out either.

"Mister Vincent, I hope you don’t misunderstand me," Wesley said. "Just like I’ve said earlier, you were correct in your judgment. But similarly, Abel was also correct. The only wrong thing here is none other than the escaped whore, Meagan."

As soon as he finished his words, Wesley’s eyes darted to Darren.

"Manager Darren, this whore was purchased by you at a cheap price, right?" He calmly said, but his aura carried a powerful sense of authority.

Darren, who had long retreated to the background, lowered his head in fear.

His forehead was drenched in sweat, and his body shivered uncontrollably when Wesley suddenly called out to him. ’It’s over, I’m definitely doomed.’