Reborn as the Genius Son of the Richest Family-Chapter 308: One-armed Wano
Meanwhile, in the deep recesses of the forest East of Angora City, there was a cave hidden in plain sight, covered by moss and overgrown weeds that most people would just assume as an empty plot of land.
However, what they didn't know was that this was the very hideout of the infamous Bastard Bandits that took the forest as their own territory.
The people living inside this cave wore fancy but mismatched armors, jewels and all sorts of expensive paraphernalias. But one must not confuse them as the wealthy type for they only procure these items from stealing and robbing merchants who failed to pay the fee when entering the forest.
Most people would find it surprising to see a bustling community in this cave. The Bastard Bandits had carved for themselves a connection of tunnels and burrows to make a small village, with designated districts and regions specifically meant for one purpose or another.
And although the famous adage said that there was no honor among thieves, there was one thing that these criminals followed, and that was strength!
The reason why the Bastard Bandits organized themselves into a pseudo-company was because of one man only, their Bandit Leader known as One-Hand Wano.
Wano, as his nickname implied, only had his left hand as his usable arm, with the other one turned into nothing but a stump after a meeting-gone-wrong with the mythical Pixie Queen.
There were rumors about how this happened, with others guessing that Wano fought one-on-one against her, or that she cursed his arm when he was asleep. But the truth was that no one knew except for Wano, and he wasn't planning on telling it to anyone anytime soon.
The Bandit Leader stayed at the very deepest part of the tunnel system, protected by layers and layers of Earth above him.
Usually, Wano stayed alone in his hideout, but this time, he was accompanied by someone who looked completely out of place inside the Bandit Cave.
While Wano sat at his desk and tapped his feet on the ground anxiously, this 'guest' strolled around the room as if he was touring a museum. The bandit seemed more uncomfortable in his own home compared to this 'guest'.
The bright orange armor this 'guest' wore was extremely telling of his background. His allegiance was stamped right on his chestplate, with the symbol of a flame burning the entire world.
He was a Flarecorp representative.
"Have your Bandits made a decision yet? Have you found the true light in Flarecorp?" the rep asked Wano.
The Bandit Leader looked up. "We haven't made a decision," he answered. "Almost half of our men reject the premise of being subordinated to a large company like Flarecorp. They treat it as us selling out."
The Flarecorp rep shook his head in disappointment. "You do know that she's coming here soon, right? The venerable beauty, the third-in-command, the silent killer…Blazelle Oscorpe.
She will want an answer by the time she arrives. And she definitely will be expecting a resounding yes from all of you. If not, then you will force our hand and cull those who say no."
There was a clear threatening tone in the rep's voice, something that Wano clearly didn't appreciate.
"Watch it," Wano warned him. "You'll not lay a hand on the Bastards while I'm here."
Wano's 6-star power came rushing out of his body, creating a shockwave that tried to push the Flarecorp rep off balance.
Unfortunately, it didn't do much in terms of threatening the Flarecorp rep. The man steadied his feet and just coughed.
"Don't throw your anger out on me," the rep said, raising his hand innocently. "I'm just the messenger."
"I don't like your message," Wano replied, eyeing him.
"Ahem…Flarecorp would like to remind you that there is a reason why the Bastard Bandits have been forced to ally yourselves with us. Your power has been dwindling. Don't deny it.
Ever since the legendary DeathClaw disappeared from your ranks, the Bastard Bandits have been steadily declining ever since. And with the Golden Road race that's been happening up North, it will only be a matter of time until the others set their sights onto you. We won't be the first to threaten you."
Wano gritted his teeth. Even though he didn't want to admit it, the Flarecorp rep was telling the truth. They were getting weak!
"Flarecorp is being nice to you now. They could have just taken your territory by force, but instead, they offered to cooperate with you on a long term basis. And don't say that Flarecorp is overestimating themselves. You know that you won't stand a chance against us, not since DeathClaw disappeared on you guys."
The Bandit Leader spat on the ground. "Are you done talking?"
"Not yet. Blazelle wants you to do her a favor. She wants you to arrange a meeting with the Pixie Queen. Flarecorp will consider this as a big merit for you, with the possibility of you even becoming a full-fledged employee of Flarecorp."
This time, Wano couldn't hold it in and stood up in defiance, smacking his hand on the desk. "Are you kidding me? The Pixie Queen?! Why not have her ask for a meeting with the Ocean King or the Demon Queen? At least that would be easier!"
The source of this c𝐨ntent is freeweɓnovēl.coɱ.
The Flarecorp rep pointed at his missing right arm. "Wasn't she the one who did this to you?"
Wano grabbed his phantom limb. "Yes, but that was only once. She has never shown her face on the surface ever again, and not one of us have ever personally met with a Fairy before, much less their Queen!"
In response, the Flarecorp rep just shrugged his shoulders. "We don't care how you do it, but just know that we will appreciate it if you do."
And just like that, the rep walked out of Wano's room and returned to the surface, leaving the Bandit Leader to wrack his brains on all the impossible tasks given to him.
"If only senior hadn't left, we wouldn't get treated like this," Wano muttered to himself, remembering the former Bandit Leader DeathClaw.
A couple of seconds later, a few bandits entered the room. "Wano, what did those corpo bastards want?"
Wano told his trusted subordinates everything about his conversation with the Flarecorp rep, and they too expressed their grievances over such a nigh impossible task
"What should we do?"
"Only one thing," Wano replied. "We'll hinder the progress of the Reborn company."
It's no secret that they had been planning on expanding the Golden Road Eastward, directly crossing the forest that they controlled.
By doing this, they would accomplish two tasks.
One, they would protect their livelihood as bandits. Once the Golden Road was finished, they would find it hard to ask for 'protection fees' from the people since they have a safe road to travel on, therefore, they would lose business.
And second, they would finally be able to feed those Fairies that had been getting more and more annoyed as the days passed. If they scared the Rebornians enough, it could cause the Pixie Queen to come out of her hiding and give Wano a chance to speak with her.
