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墨書 Inktalez
The dark street was silent.
Oshuria ran frantically, his gray hair disheveled and his black suit in tatters. Even his golden cane was nowhere to be found, making him look like a refugee fleeing for his life. His cunning and sinister eyes, however, were hollow and lifeless, fixated on the corner at the end of the street...
Behind that corner lay the eastern exit of the town. If he could just make it three or four miles straight ahead, he would reach the Taroloro Mountain Range! If he could hide there for four or five days, with the complex terrain of the mountains, no one would be able to find him!
Monsters? Forget it... Compared to those two demons, the mountain beasts were practically adorable pets!
He could earn more gold coins if needed, and if he lost his influence, he could just seize it back. But if he lost his life, that would truly be the end! Oshuria had no doubt that those two demons would slaughter him!
Closer, closer...
Oshuria silently laughed to himself, but just as he turned the corner, his smile suddenly froze!
"Looks like my guess was right; doesn't this guy know that the eastern gate is heavily guarded? Uh, hey! Oshuria!" A figure sat on the steps and slowly stood up—Suddenly it was Black Duncan.
Behind him was a neatly organized squad of twenty men who quickly surrounded Oshuria.
With a thud, Oshuria collapsed to the ground, despair etched across his face.
Black Duncan brushed off the dust from his pants and spoke in a serious tone.
"Oshuria has committed murder outside of town, killing Ekria and several people from Iron Fist Tavern! You are hereby sentenced to Blackstone Prison for life until death!"
...
Dachi had personally killed Lacreto to avenge his lost legs. He leaned back against a pool of blood and took two large swigs from a bottle of red wine. His expression was relaxed yet filled with the confusion that followed murder, along with a hint of bittersweet sorrow.
"Actually, you don't need to do it yourself. Even if he doesn't die, his end won't be any better," Edward said as he walked over, a hint of helplessness in his voice.
"He killed my brother, had my legs broken, and plotted to harm my nephew for the sake of Ekria's wealth. I must kill him with my own hands." Dachi took a deep breath, calming himself.
"Even if you will bear the blame for it?" Edward frowned.
"It doesn't matter anymore."
Dachi's voice was very flat. After speaking, he cast a deep glance at Rody and then, somewhat intentionally, glanced at Garen.
Garen understood Dachi's meaning and couldn't help but feel a sense of melancholy. The series of conspiracies against the Ekria Family orchestrated by Aurei were all hidden beneath the surface, meticulously planned and difficult to find substantial evidence for. Even tonight's events could easily be blamed on the three hundred soldiers from outside. On the other hand, Dachi killing Lacreto was witnessed by everyone outside the door.
"Take Rody away, Lord Garen!" Dachi gritted his teeth and finally made his request.
Just as Dachi would bear the blame, Garen and Sharg couldn't simply walk away after killing so many people. The best course of action was to leave the town immediately; after all, they had absolute power.
Garen turned back to look and saw Rody biting his lip hard, trying not to make a sound of sobbing.
Having gone through so much, especially the brutal scene tonight, no nine-year-old child could bear it. It was already remarkable that Rody could still stand; if he faced any more farewells, it would be hard to guarantee that his heart wouldn't suffer greatly.
At that moment, a mocking voice rang out.
"Rody! Crying isn't a good habit!"
The tavern door swung open, and a figure walked in with a teasing smile—Suddenly, it was Dostodoro!
But when Dostodoro saw the bloody scene inside, the smile vanished completely from his face. He covered his mouth and gagged a few times before sprinting back outside.
"Did I tell you to take it slow? Running so fast now makes you regret it!" An elderly voice filled with affection echoed as moments later, the town mayor Tutulu walked in.
Beside Tutulu stood Black Duncan and two guards, with a backup team of about forty people behind them.
"What the...?"
Upon seeing the scene inside, even Tutulu was momentarily stunned, especially when he looked down and saw a bloody severed arm at his feet, the palm open and facing his boots.
Tutulu's expression shifted between anger and confusion, while Black Duncan quickly bent down to throw the severed arm far away.
"What happened? Give me an explanation!" Tutulu scanned everyone in the room.
"It’s like this..."
As everyone fell silent, Edward spoke up. "Oshuria and Lacreto have colluded with outside bandits, killing members of the tavern and dozens of guards from the Ekria Family... They intend to swallow both Iron Fist Tavern and the Ekria Family!"
Tutulu's eyes widened. "So you’re saying they want to replace me?!"
"Yes..." Edward nodded heavily. "They are truly cunning, but heaven's net is vast and wide; even if their plans are meticulous, they will surely leave evidence behind!"
"Do you think I would believe you?!" Tutulu shouted angrily, pointing at the severed limbs scattered on the ground.
Edward hesitated, wanting to say something but ultimately chose to remain silent.
Watching their exchange, Garen felt something was off. He turned to see Sharg wearing a similarly strange expression, clearly sensing it too.
Tutulu's face was grim, his voice low and filled with rage; however, Garen honestly did not feel any real anger emanating from him.
"Burn this tavern down!" Tutulu irritably ordered his subordinate.
The guard was taken aback, disbelief written all over his face. "My lord, you mean to burn this... down?"
"Well, so many people have died, this place has lost its value. Let's use it to store goods," Tutulu said irritably, nodding.
"But what about the dead people..."
"Do you not have ears? Didn't you hear that they were all bandits?" Tutulu shouted in frustration. "Burn their bodies too!"
The guard looked utterly confused, thinking that the normal procedure should involve identifying the deceased. At the very least, they should keep the area for a few days to search for evidence before burning everything... Was he really that ignorant? Nevertheless, he immediately complied with the order and sent someone to bring a large number of oil barrels.
However, this left Dachi completely stunned.
He had expected the mayor to arrest him at once and then pursue Garen and his group with various means, leading to a thrilling escape battle. He never imagined the mayor would come to burn down houses instead...
"Alright, I've figured things out."
Tutulu turned around and spoke to those outside. "Oshuria and Lacreto colluded with the bandits outside the town and even attempted to replace my position! They must be punished severely! However, since Lacreto is already dead and Oshuria has been arrested, I will confiscate all their properties and invest them into the town's development!"
The nobles outside, Drinker among them, did not react much. The massacre they had just witnessed had left them deeply shaken; it would be hard for them to oppose anything in the short term.
On the other hand, Tutulu's guards were all dumbfounded. Weren't they here to capture criminals? How could everything end before they even drew their swords?
This job was way too easy...
"According to intelligence, Aurei's private vaults are located at Manor 208 and 209 in the western suburbs! Hmm... there should be at least twenty thousand gold coins!" Tutulu shouted irritably.
The guards were struck again... Aurei was one of the two wealthiest merchants in town; how could his private vaults only contain twenty thousand gold coins? That seemed far too little!
Most importantly, why reveal the locations of the vaults?!
However, Tutulu's words were not finished yet.
He shouted irritably, "Everyone has worked hard to get here; let's rest for two hours before we go!"
The guards were stunned, completely forgetting to respond.
Tutulu turned around, frowning, and said, "What are you still doing here? Don't hold out any hope; tonight this place is destined to become ruins. Get out immediately!"
Edward and Rody helped Dachi into a wheelchair and left the tavern.
Garen and Sharg exchanged glances, each seeing a hint of strangeness in the other's eyes.
For some reason, Garen felt that Tutulu's words were actually directed at them, implying that they should hurry and steal from Aurei's estate! Leave behind twenty thousand gold coins! They only had two hours!
As it turned out, Garen's intuition was correct.
Amidst the blazing flames, Garen cast a deep look at Edward. If his guess was right, this could very well be a collaboration between Edward and Tutulu. The fact that the big bad wolf was Sharg was something Edward had known all along.
However, what Garen didn't know was that day when Edward approached Tutulu, he was firmly rejected by the stern mayor.
It wasn't until a short while later that Tutulu visited Garen in person with a large number of gifts. When he mentioned the dangers Rody faced in the Black Dragon Mountain Range, he was nearly brought to tears.
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