allendalepharm Chapter 44 Father
Chapter 44 Father
Ashpar decided to go for a drink.
He asked a passerby where the nearest tavern was, and then headed straight there.
It was already evening, and the streetlights were dim. As he walked along the road, he saw a young couple sticking together and couldn't help but click his tongue, thinking, "Young people are really something, openly engaging in such petty acts."
He didn't try to conceal his movements, and even deliberately stomped harder when he landed.
The footsteps did indeed attract the attention of the young couple. Ashpar noticed that they immediately separated, and the long-haired woman glanced at him rather uncomfortably.
That glance was quite something; those turquoise eyes shone brightly under the light, immediately catching Ashpar's attention.
He stopped in his tracks, paused for a moment, and felt that the eyes looked more and more familiar.
After a long pause, he hesitated before speaking, "...Ventara?"
Those green eyes widened instantly, like a startled kitten, and she called out his name with a mixture of disbelief and curiosity: "Ashpar? What are you doing here?"
Then came a young man's voice. He looked at the two people he clearly knew and asked with a puzzled expression, "Ventara, who is this?"
It would have been fine if he hadn't spoken, but as soon as he did, Ashpar remembered what they had just been doing and took a step forward to attack.
"Damn it! How dare you mess with my daughter!"
Leosley reacted quickly, reaching out to block Leosley's fist almost the instant he made the move.
Ashpar looked quite surprised, then laughed angrily, "Fine, fine, so that's why you're so bold, kid. So that's what you're relying on..."
As he spoke, he began to act, using both hands and feet with swift and fierce movements, each strike aimed directly at the man's groin, appearing extremely ruthless.
Fortunately, Leosley was a tough guy who had worked his way up from the underground boxing ring.
Before he took over Melo Petersburg, the previous manager was a profit-driven and heartless guy. In the underground boxing ring, you had to risk your life to make money, and he was no exception. Right now, he was holding his own against Ashpar's ruthless fighting style.
Ventara tried to stop them, but unfortunately, they were both caught up in a fierce and exciting battle, and they fought for a long time until Leosley took advantage of Ashpar's unsteady breathing after finishing a combo and pinned him to the ground, which finally stopped them from fighting.
"Stop, stop, stop. Can you two be a little more reliable? You start fighting the moment you meet. You're acting like two little kids."
She first helped Leosley up, and then reached out to Ashpar, who was lying on the ground, but she positioned herself precisely in front of him, giving him no chance to make a move.
The blatant favoritism pleased Leosley, who squinted his eyes and looked at Ashpar with a defiant gaze.
"You brat..." Ashpar gritted his teeth, extremely annoyed.
Seeing that he was still determined to attack, Ventara's face darkened: "Ashpar!"
Leosley was happy to fan the flames, and he came up behind her and hugged her gently, saying, "Ventara, he must have been drunk to start a fight like that. Although he really went all out, I don't mind. After all, it wouldn't be good if I made things difficult for you."
Hmm, the vinegar taste is gone, now it tastes like tea. Ventara thought expressionlessly.
Unfortunately, he met his match.
It's just some idle banter, Ashpar can do that too!
The honey-skinned man simply lay down on the ground and wouldn't get up, muttering, "Oh dear! My old bones just can't take it anymore! I went out on a long trip to earn some living expenses for my precious daughter, and one second I was thinking about buying her some souvenirs to bring back, and the next second I saw my precious daughter on a date with some other man."
"I wanted to teach that bastard a lesson, but he was always protected by my precious daughter." He pretended to wipe away tears. "But it's okay, I know she was just fooled by that bastard."
Ventara could obviously tell he was talking nonsense. After all, the members of the Sumeru Gold-Plated Brigade were all brave and skilled warriors, and at around forty years old, they were in their prime. Where did this talk of old bones come from? But she had to admit that Ashpar's story about earning a living and souvenirs really struck a chord with her.
She was sentimental and naturally soft-hearted towards acquaintances, especially someone she had lived with for over ten years and who was also an acquaintance of her adoptive father.
She half-squatted down and helped Ashpar up, utterly exasperated: "No matter what, you can't just start a fight on the first encounter—"
Ventara even bent down to brush the dust off his clothes.
This meant missing Ashpar's glare at Leosley.
At this moment, Leosley dared not act rashly, and was stunned as he sorted through Ashpar's words in his mind.
"My darling daughter?" His gaze darted back and forth between the two of them. "You...you're Ventara's father?"
"They don't look alike at all!" Leosley cried out in his heart. One had the typical appearance of a Sumerian, the other a typical appearance of a Fontaine—how could they possibly be his biological son?!
Ashpar clicked his tongue: "What's wrong? You don't like your adoptive parents? When Ventara was sent here by her parents, you were probably just a tiny kid."
Wenta tugged at his sleeve, signaling him to talk less.
Leosley immediately realized that the "parents" he was referring to were probably the Delascos, and that the Delascos had sent Ventara to him during the ten years that had passed.
Perhaps because she was the one they loved the most back then, the Delascos put some effort into finding a buyer. Ashpar clearly treated Ventara very well, which was evident in the way the two interacted.
For some reason, he breathed a sigh of relief, as if the weight that had been hanging over him had finally been lifted, but then his heart was immediately on edge again because he had just offended his "father-in-law".
Ashpar snorted, clearly displeased with him.
Leosley racked his brains trying to find a way to salvage the situation: "Mr. Ashpar, you must have just arrived in Softlight Harbor, right? Have you found a place to stay? Would you like to come and stay with us? Ventara has been thinking about you a lot lately. She would be very happy if you could come and keep her company."
Of course, these are just nice words. If he hadn't met Ashpar today, he would have had no idea that Ventara had an adoptive father. But any father would love to hear these kinds of words, right?
Ventara couldn't help but cover her face, completely unwilling to look at his idiotic appearance.
Ashpar, who knew what kind of person Ventara was, knew it was fake, but he couldn't help but find the words really nice to hear!
Although he was still annoyed with Leosley, his expression softened considerably: "Come on, I know Ventara well. I haven't even settled the score with her for sneaking out without telling me. She's not thinking about me every day. Putting everything else aside, she won't even call me 'Dad' now. She's just a heartless little thing."
At this point, Ashpar glanced at Ventara, who was standing to the side with an innocent look on her face.
He shook his head helplessly: "Forget it, I'm used to it anyway. If she really called me, I'd feel uncomfortable. But I'll stay at your place then. I have important business to attend to in Fontainebleau."
Before he left, he only said that someone had hired him and that he might be gone for several months. He didn't mention to Ventura that he was coming to Fontaine.
Ventara casually asked, "What kind of mission is it this time?"
Ashpar stretched impatiently: "Just a bodyguard. He ran into a merchant from Winter, who said he wanted to do business in Fontaine but was worried about his personal safety and wanted someone to protect him. Isn't that ridiculous? A man from Winter wants to do business in Fontaine but first goes to Sumeru to find a bodyguard, crossing three countries at once. He doesn't seem to mind the trouble."
However, the Sumeru Gold-Plated Brigade is known for doing things for money. As long as the money is enough, they can do anything. Many people who have connections often choose them. Ashpar was once a member, but after Ventara came along, he stopped doing that and only took on small jobs like bodyguarding.
There's no other reason than my fear that one day I'll suffer the consequences and have no one to take care of my child.
However, for someone like Vladimir who has been paid enough, as long as he isn't dragged into it, he wouldn't mind turning a blind eye and doing him a favor.
The moment the keyword "Winter Merchant" appeared, Ventara and Leosley's expressions changed immediately.
"Merchants? Ashpar, do you know what kind of business they're in?" Ventara pressed.
Ashpar recognized the expression on her face; it was always something important that happened. Ashpar also became serious: "You're investigating this? But I'm not quite sure either. Vladimir is wary of me; he's hardly ever told me why he came to Fontainebleau."
Presumably, when others introduced him to someone, they specifically mentioned his taboos.
"He didn't bring the goods with him. Three days ago, he sent his men in several groups to meet him here. The goods should be with his men."
What goods need to be brought to Softlight Port in this way?
If nothing unexpected happens, this person should be the one they are looking for. However, since there is no doubt that someone is innocent, they cannot take action directly unless they actually find Melusin with them.
Leosley had already gone to the side to try to get the name Vladimir to Navelette to request more information. Ashpar and Ventura were sitting opposite each other, but the latter kept his head down, seemingly lost in thought.
Ashpar, eager to share her daughter's burdens, thought for a long time and finally came up with an idea: "Do you want to come back with me?"
Wentara thought he meant returning to Sumeru when he said "returning," and frowned in confusion, wondering why he would bring that up at this time.
“What I mean is, come with me to Vladimir,” Ashpar explained. “They’re wary of me, but not necessarily of young girls. They all know I have a daughter, so just assume you came to Fontaineble specifically to see me. Of course, I need to keep you with me for the time being.”
As long as they can find a way to stay there, finding evidence will be very easy. Even if Vladimir is very cautious, he will never be able to leave no trace. Ashpar can openly divert their attention, while Ventara can investigate in secret.
"Sigh, although doing this might damage my reputation, I have no choice but to accept that you're my precious daughter—"
Despite saying that, Ashpar was extremely happy, clearly feeling that it was something to be very proud of that Ventara had asked him for help.
Ventara rolled her eyes at him.
(End of this chapter)