The sheriff, seeing the young man before him with a mild tone, grew a little bolder. "Sir, I advise you not to meddle. That is Prince Swain, the pillar of our nation. Whoever he fancies is surely the greatest fortune for that person."
"Have you seen Prince Swain before?"
The sheriff nodded. "Yes, but the Empress's castle is too high and too far away to see clearly."
"Since you can't see clearly, I'll make sure you do."
Xiao Xun suddenly stood up, grabbed the sheriff by the collar, and pulled him close. "Open your eyes and look carefully. I am Swain."
The sheriff turned pale with fright. "Your Highness, I see clearly, I see clearly."
Xiao Xun released him and pushed him back. "Two things: find that girl for me, and find the people who took her. I'm going to eat now. If I don't see you when I'm done, no one in this world will ever see you again."
With that, Xiao Xun sat down and downed the red wine. "Get out!"
"Aye, aye!"
After a couple of acknowledgments, the sheriff ran off. The two men behind him prepared to leave as well, just as they stood up.
Xiao Xun said without turning his head, "Don't move."
The two men immediately stood still, not daring to move.
Xiao Xun and Delvana clinked their glasses, the two wide-mouthed goblets making a crisp sound.
After finishing their drinks, the owner rushed to pour more.
Xiao Xun looked at the two men. "How many times have you done this?"
The two men exchanged glances, unsure what Xiao Xun was referring to.
"I'm asking you two, how many times have you engaged in this bullying and preying on the weak?"
The two men cried out in protest, saying they had never bullied anyone, that it was all orders from above, and that the people had gone willingly.
"Slap!"
Xiao Xun slammed the table. "Without coercion, could today's events have happened?"
A barrel of wine was nearly finished, and the sheriff still hadn't returned.
Although the wine in this world wasn't strong, the quantity made up for it.
Xiao Xun was already feeling tipsy. He stood up and gestured for the owner to bring more wine.
The owner steadied Xiao Xun's swaying body. "Your Highness, you can't drink anymore. You'll get drunk."
Xiao Xun's eyes reddened. "What business is it of yours?"
He then slapped the table. "Sister Na, give him a gold coin."
Delvana's eyes widened. "Didn't you say you were treating me?"
"I didn't bring money. I'll pay you back next time."
Delvana shook her head, took out a gold coin, and placed it on the table. "Is this enough?"
The owner looked wronged. "Your Highness, it's not about the money. I can treat you to this meal. Just please, don't drink anymore."
Xiao Xun said to the two men, "You two go and get me some wine."
"Yes!"
The owner naturally didn't dare to stop them when these two were asked to get the wine.
"Prince Swain, I've brought the people."
Xiao Xun turned around and almost fell, but the person who arrived caught him.
"Your Highness, are you alright!"
Xiao Xun looked at the burly man before him. "Who are you?"
"Your Highness is drunk, aren't you? I'm your head guard!"
Xiao Xun was tipsy, but not completely drunk. He looked at the other man, finding him familiar, but couldn't recall having a head guard at all.
"You're lying. Where would I get a head guard? Baiyang has always been with me, not you!"
The burly man looked at the confused crowd, especially Delvana, who looked ready to attack. The burly man sighed. "Your Highness, please think back. After the 'Number One Gathering Under Heaven' ended, I sought you out to be your head guard. What did you say? You said that as long as the Langnusky gun was found, it would be alright."
With the burly man's reminder, Xiao Xun immediately remembered. "Tie Saihou..."
Tie Saihou looked pleased. "For a busy person like yourself to remember my name is not easy!"
"Was the gun found?"
"It was found, and it has already been collected by His Majesty. Didn't she tell you?"
Xiao Xun waved his hand. "Let's not talk about that. Alright, I admit it, you are my head guard. Stay by my side from now on. But what about the owner's daughter?"
"I sent her to the Military Academy."
Xiao Xun was surprised. "Why did you send her there?"
"It was the girl's own wish. Her father disagreed, and my words didn't carry much weight, so I had to use your name."
Hearing this, Xiao Xun sat down. He truly felt like killing a couple of people today to vent his anger. "Nonsense! Go and find the person immediately and return her to her father. While joining the army and attending military school is voluntary, we must also consider the actual circumstances of their families, right?"
He waved his hand. "Why are you still standing there? Go!"
As Tie Saihou was about to leave, the owner stopped him. "Your Highness, there's no need to go. My daughter had already told me about this. The reason I disagreed was that her two brothers had gone to the front lines, and their fate is unknown. There's been no news for over half a year. I was afraid that when I'm old, I'd have no one by my side, which is why I didn't want her to go."
Everyone heard this and understood the situation.
Xiao Xun looked at the owner. "In which unit are your two sons? Perhaps I know."
"My eldest son joined the army early and went to the border fortress with Vincent, the First Legion Commander of our Saint Romagna. My younger son is a pilot and joined Duke Sancho's Spear of Vengeance in the north."
Xiao Xun gave a thumbs-up. "Both your sons are remarkable." He then looked at Delvana. "Sister Na, give the owner another gold coin."
The owner quickly waved his hands. Xiao Xun said, "This first gold coin is for the meal, and the second is a reward for your understanding and righteousness. Please accept it!"
The owner looked around at the people. "Then I shall respectfully accept."
"Serve the wine. The sheriff and Tie Saihou, sit down and drink with us."
Although Tie Saihou was a telekinetic master, he knew the difference between superiors and inferiors. The sheriff's legs were weak, making him even more hesitant.
Seeing that neither of them sat, Xiao Xun grunted, "Then go do what you need to do! Don't linger around me."
The sheriff agreed and ran off with his two subordinates, letting out a sigh of relief. It was a close call.
Tie Saihou stood silently behind Xiao Xun, motionless.
The second barrel of wine was quickly finished, and Xiao Xun slumped onto the table.
Delvana stood up. "Then I'll leave him to you. I have to return to the coastal defense line."
Tie Saihou simply nodded, saying nothing.
After Delvana left, Tie Saihou used his telekinesis to take Xiao Xun back to the castle.
When he opened his eyes again, he was back in the real world, and the sky was bright, nearly noon.
He had a hangover, and although the wine was low in alcohol, it had a strong aftereffect, leaving him with a headache for a while.
A cup of warm milk was placed beside him.
He took a sip, put on his pajamas, and went downstairs.
Sister Mei was cooking in the kitchen. He went down to the basement, where Mu Jiahe was exercising in the gym.
She stopped when Xiao Xun entered and wiped her sweat. "You're awake! Why did you drink so much last night?"
Xiao Xun waved his hand. "It's nothing. I just ran into an old acquaintance and had some food at his restaurant. I thought his wine was good, so I drank a bit more."
Mu Jiahe didn't say anything to Xiao Xun's reply. She didn't yet know about the matter with Salepini.
"Are you going to work this afternoon?"
"No, I'm tired! I plan to rest."
After lunch, Secretary Fan's call came. "Mr. Xiao, are you coming to the company this afternoon?"
"No, I'm tired!"
Secretary Fan's tone was excited. "Country H has withdrawn the lawsuit, and the people from Huaixi Company want to discuss cooperation."