Chapter 129 - Solitary Wanderer’s Leather Armour

　　Nie Yan followed the crowd of n.o.bles as they marched into the administrator’s office. Here, they found Administrator Kallan to whom they began to express their dissatisfaction and outrage, turning the formerly quiet hall into a place of clamour.

　　“Administrator Kallan, we’ve caught swindlers!”

　　“Krusch was scamming us this whole time!”

　　An outraged n.o.ble emotionally walked up to the tied-up Krusch, grabbed ahold of his long flowing beard, and tugged at it to vent some of his anger. Surprisingly, the beard along with a mask came off, revealing a s.h.i.+fty-eyed, fair-faced young man in his twenties. This Krusch was never an old man to begin with!

　　“Wait, he’s not Master Blacksmith Krusch! I’ve seen his face somewhere before. He’s that thief!” the n.o.ble exclaimed in shock as he came to a sudden realization. “He isn’t Krusch! This guy is just pretending to be him!”

　　“So, it all makes sense then… Master Blacksmith Krusch has always been a kind and respectable fellow after all. Everything he creates is of high-quality and sells for a premium in auction houses across the empire. Among his creations, there’s no lack of Legendary-grade equipment. I should’ve known there was no way he would run such a shameless scam!”

　　“So he was actually an imposter...” The n.o.bles finally understood.

　　“You wretched b.a.s.t.a.r.d!” The crowd began beating up the fake Krusch who started to wail and beg for forgiveness.

　　Administrator Kallan was incensed as well. He pointed at the young man writhing on the floor and shouted, “You wretched cur! Because of you, not only has Hilderlocke received a vile mark on its reputation, but you’ve also sullied Master Blacksmith Krusch’s good name! Your actions are absolutely unforgivable. Guards, send them to jail!”

　　Afterward, two fully armed guards came forward, apprehended the young man and his three accomplices, and then escorted them away.

　　“Administrator Kallan, it was this young gentleman who uncovered that swindler’s dastardly plot!” an old n.o.ble said as he pointed to Nie Yan.

　　Following which the crowd began expressing their admiration and praise.

　　Administrator Kallan’s expression revealed a hint of surprise as he walked over to Nie Yan and said, “Youngster, thank you for exposing that impostor and redeeming Hilderlocke’s reputation. I will make sure those four are punished to the full extent of my authority. And to you, on behalf of all the residents of this city, I would like to express my deepest grat.i.tude. Your foresight and judgement are very admirable. Please take this as a token of our appreciation.”

　　These quest rewards are pretty good! Nie Yan glanced at his experience bar and noticed it had already risen to twenty-three percent. Moreover, since his Influence had now reached twenty points, he would be able to receive preferential treatment in this city. How could he not feel happy over such a development? As for the twenty-point increase in Intelligence, although it didn’t have much of an effect for Thieves, it still had some influence on the success rate of the Lockpicking skill. Not to mention it would also be useful when he wanted to use special scrolls that had Intelligence requirements.

　　Afterwards, he took the leather armour in his hands and examined its properties.