Fredrinn Firecrown: The Weakest Villain

This wasn't the first time this system prompt appeared since he got the Pseudo-Apex rank sword cultivation manual. He was also a former sword user during his time as a player so he wanted to learn it. However, after his recent experience which almost caused his dantian to explode, he didn't dare hastily make a decision.

'This cultivation method is very tempting, but my life is more important. Besides, I should be able to get a more powerful cultivation method once I merge the Ice Revolution Divine Method and the True Sacred Flame Heavenly Tome.' Fredrinn thought over it for a long time before he made a decision.

He clicked [No] with a hint of reluctance.

"Why do you look so glum, my lord? Is there something bothering you?" Olivia asked when she saw Fredrinn's expression.

"I'm fine. I just thought about something." Fredrinn smiled and shook his head.

"I see…" Olivia didn't ask anymore after hearing his response.

"You two better not overdo your training. You must learn to balance your tasks and private life. You are not slaves here. You need to give yourself some time to rest and enjoy life every once in a while." Fredrinn reminded them again. He didn't want them to become his puppets. That would kill their potential and it might even make them hostile to him.

"Yes, my lord!" The two ladies felt warm in their hearts. It was rare to find a caring lord who would look out for his subordinates. This made them even more determined to follow him.

Fredrinn bid them farewell and left. He still had a lot of tasks to do for the next operation so he went to deal with them one by one.

***

Late in the afternoon, Captain Gunnar Haraldson, Kristine, and another squad leader named Gilbert were summoned to the semi-furnished office inside the ten-story building five hundred meters away from the main mansion in the Firecrown Household's estate.

This building was an unfinished construction project. It was originally built to accommodate the families of the hired miners of the Firecrown Household, but it was put on hold because of an accident that happened more than a year ago.

It was an accident that killed more than twenty miners and six martial practitioners!

Fredrinn raised his head and looked at the half-painted building.

According to the previous Fredrinn's memories, there was an accident that happened in the energy stone mine during an operation to create another route in the mining site. The new path that was being built at that time collapsed and buried the miners and engineers working on the project. Even the martial practitioners stationed at the site were buried along with them.

This matter was ruled out as an accident after an investigation was conducted. However, Fredrinn thought that something was suspicious about the entire situation. A problem like that wouldn't have occurred with the presence of the engineers and talented mining personnel. Unless…

Unless someone deliberately caused the problem and made it look like it was an accident.

Thinking about this matter, Fredrinn frowned and shook his head. He still had a lot of work to deal with at the moment so he had no time to think about the past.

With a heavy look on his face, he headed inside the building.

Soon, he arrived at the semi-furnished office that was assigned as the guards unit's temporary meeting room.

"My lord!"

"My lord!"

"Greetings, my lord!"

Upon entering the office, he was greeted by Kristine, Gunnar, and Gilbert who had already waited for him for some time.

Fredrinn waved his hand. "Sit down. I will brief you on the next operation so you guys listen well."

Hearing this, the faces of the three turned serious.

"The goal this time is to capture a person called 'The Sender'. We don't know this person's appearance since he always wears a mask so you guys have to handle…"

"… According to the information we gathered, the target will head to the headquarters of the Snake Gang to deliver funds for the organization. He might bring some people with him so you have to watch out for that…"

"… If they surrender, there is no need to kill them. We need more information so we must capture more from their side to be interrogated…"

"If you have any questions, now is the time to ask."

Gunnar raised his hand and Fredrinn indicated for him to speak. "My lord, will two squads be enough for this mission?"

The goal of the mission was only to capture one target, but there was no guarantee that it wouldn't be dangerous. Gunnar was worried that two squads would be insufficient to carry out the task.

"I understand your worries, but the other three squads will be sent to perform another task and their mission is even more dangerous," Fredrinn replied in a calm voice.

"A separate task?" The three of them were taken aback.

Fredrinn nodded. He interlocked his fingers as he said with a serious look. "That's right. Cain, Deputy Captain Aurelius, and the three squads will be sent out to investigate the Morten Household. They are our prime suspect so we need to gather more information about them."

"My lord, can we not ask the patriarch to send us more men to support us in these tasks?" The quiet squad leader named Gilbert finally spoke. He was a middle-aged man with a burn wound on the right side of his face.

[Foundation Establishment 9th Layer]

Fredrinn sensed his cultivation through the Battle Scouter Function. This person was the strongest among the squad leaders and he also had the most field experience.

"We can't. The family's elite teams and martial practitioners are tightly guarding the estate and the energy stone mine. We don't know what the Blackcrow Household would do especially now that we have their third heir locked up in our underground prison. With the threat they pose, we can't arbitrarily send out more of our martial practitioners." Fredrinn replied.

Gilbert frowned upon hearing this.

Fredrinn knew the risks of sending his guards unit into two separate groups. However, he had his reasons for pushing through the plan despite the dangers involved.

Most members of his guards unit are composed of young and inexperienced martial practitioners. They needed more field experience to temper them into formidable warriors.

The recent mission with the Snake Gang wasn't enough of an experience for them since they mostly fought against weaker martial practitioners during that operation.

The briefing continued for another thirty minutes before Fredrinn dismissed everyone.

Looking at them leave, Fredrinn furrowed his eyebrows. "I need to find more men as soon as possible…"

His team was severely understaffed, but because of his recent spending, he couldn't afford to hire more men. To deal with this problem, he had to find a way to earn some money.

Fredrinn left the building with a thoughtful look. He had some ideas in mind, but it was troublesome to carry them out with the present situation of the household.

On his way back to the main mansion, he encountered the scar-faced woman named Angel. Her wounds had been bandaged and she wore an ordinary set of clothes. "I heard that you were here…" She muttered in a cold voice.

Fredrinn was quite surprised to see her, but her sudden arrival made him come up with an idea. "It seems like you have already made a decision." He smiled lightly.