Gemstone Town lay in the Empire’s north.
It was the largest underground market in the Empire, the so called black market. Here, as long as someone had money, there was nothing they could not buy.
At the same time, it was also the largest lawless zone in the Empire.
No matter what crime was committed here, the Empire would never send people to deal with it.
As long as no one touched the royal family.
Because the one supporting this place from behind the curtain was the Imperial royal family itself.
Slave trade.
Forbidden goods.
Stolen money and stolen goods.
Even Imperial Relics.
Anything ordinary people could imagine, and even things they could not, could be found here.
The only thing one had to remember was safety.
Do not get killed here.
Every day, people from all over the Empire came to Gemstone Town to trade.
Some were merchants.
Some were criminals.
Some were bounty hunters.
Some were nobles.
All sorts of identities gathered in one place.
Inside a tavern, the air was thick with cigar smoke and alcohol.
A burly man tipped back his head and drained his cup. A girl with a fiery figure was boasting loudly. The place rang with noise, rough laughter, and overlapping voices.
"The resistance army seems to be growing stronger and stronger. I heard they have expanded very quickly overseas these past few years. They are fighting the navy hard right now."
"At this rate, it will not be long before they reach the north."
"Not necessarily."
"You think the Empire’s top combat strength is just for show? Did the Minister not create some Purge Unit a few years ago? I heard they are terrifyingly strong."
"Purge Unit?"
"I heard they are all bloodline inheritors. They specialize in dealing with people who dare resist the Empire and the nobles. Their reputation is not good."
"They are a pack of mad dogs."
On the notice board, Cedran’s wanted poster was placed in a very conspicuous spot.
The long string of zeroes on the bounty meant that he, too, had become an important figure watched closely by the Empire.
"A bounty of 1 billion!"
A drunkard let out a sigh.
"The resistance army’s Silver Sword has become more and more famous over the years. Without anyone noticing, his bounty has already climbed this high."
"His strength is the real thing. The core officers of the resistance army are all far from ordinary. Otherwise, the Empire would have killed them long ago."
"In that case, could Silver Sword be the strongest swordsman in the world right now?"
"Maybe."
A fiery beauty beside them slammed the table.
"What, looking down on women? I do not think Cerys, one of the Calamities, is weaker than him!"
At the mention of Cerys, everyone immediately nodded.
"That is true."
"Pity the two of them have never fought."
A sneer cut off the lively discussion.
In the corner, a travel worn middle aged man showed clear disdain, which immediately displeased many in the tavern.
"What, uncle? You do not think so?"
"Of course not!"
The middle aged man took a hard drink and wore the look of someone dealing with juniors who had seen too little of the world.
"If we are talking about the World’s Strongest Sword Master, when did it become those two’s turn? Owl is the one truly worthy of that title."
"Owl?"
The people in the tavern looked at one another.
Most of them had only been children sixteen years ago. They had not cared about wanted criminals or the news back then, so naturally they had never heard Owl’s name.
Some older people, however, had memory in their eyes.
"Owl... It has been a long time since I heard news of him."
"I heard he went out to sea."
"No idea whether he is dead or alive now."
Even someone once famous across the world would be forgotten after disappearing for two or three years.
Let alone sixteen.
The middle aged man had lived through Caelum’s era and still admired him greatly. With nostalgia for those past days, he raised his voice and said, "Owl was once publicly recognized by the world as the World’s Strongest Sword Master."
"I think I heard adults talk about that name when I was little?"
A young man fell into thought.
Then, all at once, a thunderous crash struck the tavern.
The atmosphere inside tightened in an instant.
A body flew backward and smashed straight through the tavern from one side to the other. Everyone put a hand on their weapons, alert at once.
Then a tall young man walked through the tavern.
He grabbed the man lying on the ground, lifted him up, and punched him away again, sending blood spraying from the man’s mouth.
The young man’s smile was wildly arrogant.
His madness carried no restraint, an absolute confidence and presence that seemed to place no one in his eyes.
"What is this? You cannot stand after only two punches? I thought you could let me enjoy myself a little longer. Turns out you are just a useless bastard with a loud name."
The people in the tavern leaned out to look. Seeing that it had nothing to do with them, they kept drinking while watching the show with great interest.
Quite a few recognized the arrogant young man.
A bounty hunter checked the wanted poster on the notice board, then looked at the young man before his eyes. His eyes lit up.
"It really is Ronaldo!"
Ronaldo.
A young man who had frequently caused major incidents in recent years.
His origins were unknown, but one thing was certain. He was a bloodline inheritor.
Beyond that, he possessed a gauntlet type Imperial Relic called Heavy Punch.
This Imperial Relic granted him power comparable to a super class Danger Beast.
Because of that, his combat strength and destructive power were astonishing.
And because his manner was arrogant, wild, and completely unrestrained, he could almost be called steeped in evil.
For that reason, his bounty had reached 200 million.
For a rising new generation expert, that was already an extremely high bounty.
Precisely because of this, Ronaldo’s confidence had swollen severely.
He was the perfect example of a newborn calf that did not fear the tiger.
He did not know the height of heaven or the depth of earth.
Ronaldo was about to deliver the finishing blow when a fast moving figure swept in.
A foot stepped onto Ronaldo’s fist and blocked it firmly.
Where fist and foot collided, the air burst with a loud explosion.
"Hah..."
A breath of white smoke drifted out.
A scruffy young man in casual clothes stood there with a cigar in his mouth. In a lazy tone, he said to Ronaldo, "He has already learned his lesson. How about stopping here? No need to kill him, right?"
Ronaldo paused briefly.
Then he gave a savage grin, released the man in his hand, and suddenly increased his strength.
The young man had no intention of clashing directly. He borrowed the force and flew backward, opening the distance.
"If I am not mistaken, you should be Denison, former supreme commander of the Second Unit of the Imperial Norvind Legion. Bounty, 250 million."
"Uh..."
Denison quickly shook his head.
"You have the wrong person. I am clearly much more handsome than Denison."
Ronaldo did not care.
With a fiercely rapid movement, he left an afterimage behind and appeared in front of Denison in the blink of an eye, then smashed down with a punch.
A huge crash rang out.
A great pit appeared in the ground.
Denison seemed to have predicted Ronaldo’s attack and dodged a step ahead of time.
Ronaldo walked out of the pit, fighting spirit surging through him.
"Looks like coming to Gemstone Town was the right choice after all. Fighting strong people like you is what makes things interesting. If you do not fight me properly today, you are not leaving."
"Tch."
Denison sighed.
"Troublesome."