LRAB Page 78
Page 78
Zhuang Sen frowned slightly and gestured with his chin toward the nun who was looking over. Immediately, the regret and lingering satisfaction on the nun's face were replaced by excitement and joy, followed by another round of screams.
After three rounds of this, when the vengeful nun brought out a large, grayish rat with glowing green eyes, preparing to put it into their clothes, Grean's confidants finally completely broke down.
“I’ll tell you everything. I killed my brother. Prince Grean funded me. Yes, we were ordered by Prince Grean to judge Johnson Leon…”
Disrespectful to the Earl, add a stroke.
A rat, fed only once a week, scurried into a buffet restaurant full of fresh, tender meat. Its first bite was of a large sausage that had been secured with silver needles, and it began to chew it with relish.
Attempting to feign madness and stall for time by spouting nonsense, Grean's henchmen let out a bloodcurdling scream that sent chills down Zhuang Sen's spine. The effect was remarkable; the eyes of Grean's henchmen instantly cleared, showing no trace of their madness, and they all looked at the middle-aged man: "Lord John! Say something!"
"Yes! All the intelligence is with you! And the mission was personally assigned to you by Lord Grean!"
Under the earnest persuasion of his subordinates, the middle-aged man with the unusual name finally accepted reality: "Sister Mary is right. There is another point she may not know, but the Falau family has always been a loyal supporter of His Highness the Prince. So after we learned that there was a conflict between Leon Territory and Falau Territory, we tried to provide some support to Falau Territory. But according to His Highness the Prince's orders, we hope to find a way to reconcile the Leon family and the Falau family... For example, by controlling the rapidly developing Church of Revenge to influence Lord Johnson."
Although middle-aged John spoke politely and subtly, upon closer examination, it was actually because the Farau family had long been one of their own, so they wanted to force Johnson to stop the war. Unfortunately, they did not expect that the local Fury Church had no manners whatsoever and did not give them any face, and Johnson was completely devoid of martial ethics.
Johnson nodded in satisfaction: "See, John, aren't we having a very pleasant conversation? ...However, Mann, you're not giving me a very good impression right now, are you?"
Chapter 192: Ransom Plus Three
Mann Farau was in good condition; aside from being frightened by the vengeful nuns' superb skills, he was unharmed. However, meeting Zhuang Sen's imposing gaze, he knew that if he wanted to remain unscathed, he could no longer afford to be complacent.
So he immediately said, “My lord, what I just said about ransoming prisoners is true. However, I do indeed have the duty of a spy. I was just discussing the specific situation and methods with Lord John and Lady Mary. Their opinions have benefited me greatly. However, before I could implement it, you, my lord, brilliantly discovered it and arrested me on the spot. If you don’t believe me, there should be some of the funds I brought with me in the inn for espionage activities. As for the ransom, it was too large to bring… Sigh.”
After being forcibly given poison and weakened, such a long speech was quite a burden for Mann. Fortunately, Zhuang Sen seemed quite satisfied with his speech and did not signal the nun in front of him, who was looking on expectantly, to make a move.
Thanks be to the gods, thanks be to our ancestors.
Johnson patted Dantalian, and the voluptuous nun carried him to Mann Farau: "So, what about Prince Grean?"
“Lord John is right, but not entirely right.” Mann Farau’s forehead began to sweat, but fortunately he was already drenched in sweat, so it was not obvious that there was a problem. “The Farau family maintains close ties with many nobles, just like with the Leon family, so we do not absolutely support Prince Grean. We also support Princess Serafina and Princess Celine. Moreover, Lord John’s actions this time were actually proposed by them first, and they did not inform us of their actions against the church, at least I am not aware of it.”
Mann Farrau was clearly more eloquent. In his speech, he indicated that the Farrau family could also support the princess faction supported by Johnson, shifted the blame for the inspector's matter to Grean's confidant, and finally implied that his status in the Farrau family was average and that he was not of much value to interrogate. He might even be planning to evoke Johnson's pity, since Johnson used to be of similar status to him in the Farrau family, but Johnson turned the tables in just a few months.
Unfortunately, Johnson didn't give him his wish. He didn't even bother to investigate the truth of Johnson's claims. Instead, John, who was standing nearby, shouted in a fit of rage and fear, "You're talking nonsense!! Lord Johnson! This is slander! He's deliberately trying to divert your attention!!"
Zhuang Sen raised his hand and pressed down, and Loris interrupted John's speech with a branding iron. Then Zhuang Sen looked at Mann and said leisurely, "Okay, but let's not worry about that for now. You said you did have a mission to redeem Lilith Farau and Colm Farau, so what about the ransom I'm asking for?"
Mann Farau hesitated for about half a second before making his decision amidst John's screams: "Lord Zhuangsen, I've stored the ransom in the Farau family's safe house in River Night Village outside Star Night City. It's guarded by two bloodline users who have undergone a second awakening. Their bloodlines are [Screaming Chicken] and [Crimson Hound]. After all, as you know, that sum of money is simply too large to carry around or leave lying around."
“Very good.” Zhuang Sen rubbed his hands together. Two hundred thousand gold coins was a considerable sum for him now, and being able to get something for free was naturally a pleasant thing. “Put Mr. Mann down. Let’s go get my gold coins back first, and then we can talk in detail… As for the rest, I’ll leave it to you, Priestess Loris.”
Loris smiled and nodded, raising the silver needles in her hand—well, her technique was "a little worse" than that vengeful nun from before. Even though Lord John's needles were quite ordinary, it still took a dozen or so needles to find the exact spot.
Wish her good luck.
……
With Mann Farau's cooperation, the ransom was quickly found, and the [Screaming Chicken] and [Crimson Hound] guarding it offered absolutely no resistance to Lydia and Dantalian. Of course, their excuse was for the safety of the captured Lord Mann Farau; after all, although they shared the same surname, there were significant differences between Faraus.
So the number of prisoners increased by two.
Mann Farau also realized something was wrong. He had paid the money, but not only did he not see Colm Farau and Lilith Farau, but how come they were still arrested?
Zhuang Sen, riding his docile mare, looked at Mann Farrau, who was more than a head taller than him, with innocent, large eyes: "Mr. Mann, when did this become ransom? Isn't this compensation you're paying for your espionage? Oh, right, because of your espionage, you've been captured by me now. But being merciful, I'm allowing you to write back to the Farrau family to report the situation. Remember to make it clear that you also want a ransom of 100,000 gold coins, plus a daily allowance of 1,000 gold coins. As for these two..."
The screaming chicken hurriedly said, "Sir, sir, we're really worthless, maybe five thousand gold coins at most."
Zhuang Sen shook his head slightly: "I think you should each be worth 50,000 gold coins."
The Crimson Hound, who had been silent, couldn't help but retort after hearing this: "My lord, we are just a branch of the Farau family, and our bloodline is not superior. Our family is not wealthy either, and it is impossible for us to come up with so much money."
Zhuang Sen remained calm and composed: "No matter how much the ransom is, I will give you 20% of it."
Ah this...
The screaming chicken's expression turned serious: "My lord, I think that as second-level bloodline users who have undergone a second awakening, we should be worth at least 80,000 gold coins."
The Crimson Hound glared angrily at its companion, about to reprimand it, when it heard Zhuang Sen's voice rang out: "If you can't get a ransom of more than 50,000 per person, then you'd better prepare to work as hard as Colm to make money."
Colm?
Mann and his men certainly knew this high-ranking family member, but what did that have to do with the ransom?
They found out very quickly.
After being led to a secluded courtyard within the Leon estate, they saw Colm, naked and muscular, as well as countless women and a small number of men lined up from the rooms to the courtyard gate, and medicine bottles scattered all over the ground, along with dried but persistent dampness.
The men and women in line also saw them.
"Lord Zhuang Sen, they also..."
Zhuang Sen, who rarely walked on his own, waved his hand: "Not yet, but let me introduce you. This is Count Olco Farau's eldest son, Mann Farau, and these two are Screaming Chicken and Crimson Hound..."
Zhuang Sen looked meaningfully at Mann and the other two, who all wore expressions of resignation and pleaded with Zhuang Sen, "Sir, let's write the letter now!!"
The author says:
作者的话：怎么感觉推剧情反而看的人少，头秃了。进度更新：月票31/50，催更票37/50，打赏4000/5000
Chapter 193: The King's Secret Treasure
Johnson granted Mann Farau, Screaming Chicken, and Crimson Hound's request and kindly allowed them to stay and keep Colm company, as long as they didn't interfere with Colm's work. However, having drunk the weakening potion, they didn't have the ability to interfere anyway. In short, he hoped they and Colm would have a good time.
As for Johnson himself, he reunited with Dantalian and the others outside the door and returned to the vibrant, thriving dungeon of Leon Manor.
As soon as he was carried inside by Dantalian, the ragged Sister Mary immediately and eagerly approached Johnson, saying, "My lord! Merciful lord! I really told you everything!"
Zhuang Sen sighed regretfully: "Really? Then why don't I know why Yelena supports Gregorian? Could it be that she has taken a liking to Prince Gregorian? But even so, I don't think Prince Gregorian would be interested in an old lady like her... especially since she's already starting to look old."
Sister Mary was momentarily speechless. She had prepared her response, but the pain throughout her body made it difficult for her to think coherently, and after the brief pause, it was too late even if she remembered.
Zhuang Sen casually toyed with Dantalian's smooth flaxen hair, saying, "To be honest, I have no interest in the struggle between princes and princesses. After all, His Majesty the King can live for at least several decades more. I really don't understand why you're in such a hurry to provoke me. I hate stupid people who pick fights for no reason. So, do you have any last words?"
Johnson's tone was ordinary, but precisely because of this, combined with the dungeon environment, the patrolling nuns and Grean's confidants, already under torture, immediately broke down their last fragile defenses.
They were certain that Johnson was capable of killing them all; after all, he was a madman who dared to publicly kill even his own father. They even considered Mann Farrar, who had just left with Johnson and hadn't returned, as dead. In this immense fear, they began to incoherently reveal various details, even mentioning things like bedwetting as children. Their state was somewhat similar to the nun who had feigned madness earlier, but the vengeful nuns could judge the state of those being interrogated and determine whether it was a genuine breakdown or a feigned one.
However, there wasn't any really exciting news, but I did hear a lot of gossip, such as Mr. John supposedly selling himself to Prince Graeme? While it's true that many nobles are homosexual, it's a bit much for an heir to do this, since children are an important family asset, and homosexuals can't have children.
Zhuang Sen listened patiently for a while, then clapped his hands: "Very good, it seems everyone is ready. Don't worry, I will remember your last words and engrave them on your tombstones."
The chaos and noise vanished instantly, leaving only a deathly silence. Their lips were still moving, but they couldn't utter a sound. Fear had robbed them of control over their voices.
No, why? They told us everything, so why kill them? They're capable of anything—
Some people felt resentful, while others felt indignant. These were all elite individuals, and of course, there were some tough guys among them. But even the toughest bones couldn't withstand the double attack of steel and poison—torture, of course. Truth serum, truth-telling water, and the like had to be arranged. These kinds of magical potions were best-selling products.
Therefore, Zhuang Sen was not surprised by the “spectacle” caused by his intimidation. He was more puzzled as to whether these guys really had no secret information left.
Just as Zhuang Sen began to wonder if he had given them too much medicine and damaged their brains, a tense voice broke the silence: "Sir, I just remembered something else, something I'm not quite sure about, but could we talk about it privately? I mean, it's not appropriate for too many people to know that news, and I'm really not sure about it."
Zhuang Sen looked in the direction the voice came from and, unsurprisingly, found it was Sister Mary, whose voice had quickly become hoarse: "Of course, Sister Mary."
The vengeful nuns stepped forward, removed Sister Mary's shackles, and escorted her to the adjacent dungeon. Dantalian followed with Johnson in her arms, and Lydia, Angela, and Mira also went after them, leaving behind a group of prisoners who didn't know whether to be thankful or desperate, walled up in endless worry and fear.
"Give her a glass of water and a seat." Zhuang Sen said, casting a [Heal] spell on Sister Mary to prevent her from being tormented by that sawing-wood-like voice, and also to prevent Sister Mary from suddenly passing out halfway through her sentence.
Sister Mary, who had been hanging up all day and was finally able to sit down and drink water, felt a surge of gratitude for Zhuang Sen's kindness and treatment. She carefully drank the warm water, let out a long breath, and Zhuang Sen didn't urge her, but simply watched her.
“Thank you, Your Excellency. What I’m about to say is best left unsaid to others.” Sister Mary licked the water from her lips and said earnestly, “This matter concerns the very foundation of the kingdom, and even more so the origin of the Church… if what I know is true.”
Zhuang Sen waved his hand noncommittally: "I have my own judgment, just tell me."
Then Sister Mary spoke up: "Patriarch... the reason Yelena is willing to support Prince Grean is because Prince Grean promised to allow Yelena to use the palace's secret treasure, and claimed that the treasure has the ability to change bloodlines! It can switch a person's bloodline to another bloodline!!"
Zhuang Sen's previously relaxed expression turned serious, his gaze sharpening like a dagger. However, this didn't seem suspicious, because upon hearing about the ability to alter another's bloodline, no one with that bloodline would remain unmoved. Zhuang Sen's reaction was already a display of considerable composure and shrewdness!
After all, he also possesses this ability.
Sister Mary continued, "At first, I didn't believe the news about this treasure, but since that day, Yelena has firmly stood on Prince Grean's side. She may not be very trustworthy in other aspects, but at least she is not a fool who can be easily deceived. Moreover, she has indeed always wanted to change her bloodline because she wants to become stronger, live longer, and regain her youth."
Sister Mary took another sip of water and finally said, "As for why I know this, one reason is that I was in the room when Prince Grean came to see Yelena, and I wasn't kicked out immediately; and although Yelena kicked me out before Prince Grean could produce the evidence, I still overheard part of their conversation. It seems that Yelena knew about the treasure all along, and that Prince Grean had used it before!"
Sister Mary's information was indeed astonishing, but what surprised Zhuang Sen the most wasn't the "secret treasure that can change bloodlines," but rather, "Could that thing be one of the three relics the system is looking for?"
When Zhuang Sen was granted the title of Earl, he unlocked the Nest function, as well as the fiefdom map and relic function. The system indicated that there were three relics to find. However, according to the system's guidance, the three relics were located in the north, south, and west directions of Leon territory, respectively, and were not within Leon territory itself. Therefore, Zhuang Sen was too lazy to go out and explore. After all, there were only directions and no distances, so who knew where they were?
However, the information given by Sister Mary made Zhuang Sen subconsciously think of the relics. After all, the ability to "change bloodlines" sounded too similar to the system's ability, and the capital city was indeed located in the east of Leon territory.
However, after thinking it over, Zhuang Sen realized that knowing this wouldn't change anything. He couldn't very well raise an army and march on the capital just because of this information; that would only make him a target for the Titan King. It was better to wait until he married Celine, and then use his status as a prince to enter the palace and see if he could get close to her.
As his thoughts raced, Zhuang Sen's expression remained unchanged: "Hmm, that sounds alright, at least it's reasonable... Fine, you can live, but you'll be spared the death penalty, though you won't escape punishment."
Sister Mary didn't understand the awkward expression in the last half of Johnson's sentence, but she understood that she could live. She immediately knelt down and said, "Praise be to the goddess, praise be to the merciful Lord Johnson."
Zhuang Sen shook his head and called out. The nun who had gone out earlier, led by Loris, pushed open the door and entered. She helped up Sister Mary, who was kneeling on the ground, and followed Zhuang Sen back to the dungeon they had just been in.
All eyes turned to him, and Zhuang Sen calmly delivered his final verdict: "Thank Sister Mary, you poor wretched creatures, you can live. But from now until this time tomorrow, you will spend your days on the streets, letting all the people of Leon know you pathetic spies... well, except for Sister Mary."
—That is, to parade them through the streets in public.
As for Sister Mary's extra treatment, one reason was to prevent her from being silenced if she went out, and the other was... Stockholm was still very useful. Even if Sister Mary didn't get sick, others wouldn't welcome her for enjoying preferential treatment, which naturally created rifts among these people.
Whether there are dates or not, we'll still take a couple of shots.
Chapter 194: Celine's Rebellion
While Johnson dealt with the clowns and the Farau family received yet another piece of bad news, Celine Anser arrived at the royal city, which she was neither loyal to nor hostile to. The Zhanxing Guards relaxed slightly, and one of them suggested with a sour tone, "Your Highness, now that you're here, shouldn't you rest?"
Someone immediately retorted, "Her Highness hasn't even arrived home yet, how can we let our guard down! We must escort her all the way to the palace!"
The first person to speak wore the traditional black chainmail and blue robe of the Zhanxing Guardians, adorned with flowing starlight. The second person, however, wore plate armor that was anything but traditional, bearing no resemblance to the Zhanxing Guardians' heritage. It was covered in gaudy patterns, and the silver and sky-blue cloak and robe looked terribly mismatched—someone was getting impatient.
Celine glanced back at the two guards, knowing that the Azure Star Guardians who weren't wearing [Rune Plate Armor - Earth Protection] were jealous of their comrades wearing it and wanted to quickly get them to change out of this novel, gorgeous, and incredibly powerful new equipment—after all, there was no danger in the royal city! Why are you guys dressed so smartly!
Judy spoke up at the right moment: "Alright! Shut up, all of you. Do you want me to help you recall the military regulations?"
When the captain spoke, the Zhanxing Guardians fell silent again. However, the ten Zhanxing Guardians, including Judy, who had changed into rune equipment, were all extremely arrogant. It seemed that if it weren't for the helmets restricting the angle of their neck movements, they could have held their chins up to the sky.
Although the Zhanxing Guards, as the royal guards, are usually proud soldiers, such arrogance is rare and naturally attracted many eyes. Fortunately, Celine and her party were carrying the royal flag, so no one came to cause trouble, and they arrived at the palace easily.
"You lot, come with me to see His Majesty the King."
Celine marked the few Star Guardians who had switched to rune-equipped gear, saying, "The rest of you can go and rest."
Amidst the envious and jealous gazes of their comrades who knew the truth, and the envious yet curious gazes of the others who were unaware, the Star Guardians, including Judy, followed Celine with their heads held high.
……
In the throne room, Baroque King Anser was discussing state affairs with his court ministers when a shout suddenly rang out from outside the door: "Princess Serene has arrived—"
King Baroo raised his head, his eyes flickering: "Oh, right, Celine said she would arrive today, but she's back so early. That's not like the lazybones she's used to... It seems she's really confident in her rune equipment."
When His Majesty the King spoke, the others naturally echoed him. The Kingdom's Marshal, with his white beard, laughed and said, "Your Highness is thinking of the country, which is why you care so much about military preparedness."
The marshal's words were very tactful; he not only praised Celine but also subtly addressed her concerns, preventing Celine from being implicated should the rune equipment prove faulty. After all, he was the marshal, a proponent of war, and a loyal ally of Serafina.
The Chancellor of the Exchequer—Prince Grean's ally—was about to launch an attack when Celine strode in. Her specially painted fiery red plate armor, adorned with dragon scales, exuded a majestic and imposing aura, fully showcasing the [Dragon's Might] she possessed after awakening her bloodline. This instantly stunned the Chancellor of the Exchequer, who possessed only a level three bloodline and was completely unprepared. Moreover, no one noticed this; they simply felt that Celine looked quite imposing in this attire.
If Princess Serafina dressed like that... the marshal subconsciously thought.
Unlike his ministers, Baro didn't have as many inner thoughts. He simply looked at his youngest daughter and laughed, "You actually brought ten fully armed warriors to my throne room, Celine. Are you planning a rebellion?"
A burst of laughter erupted from the crowd. No one thought Baroo was serious. Even if there were a hundred times more, Princess Serene and ten Star Guardians, they still wouldn't be a match for the Titan King!
Celine pouted and put on the helmet she had been holding: "Hmph! You old bastard! Today I'm going to take your throne!"
Baroo chuckled: "Letting you sit down isn't out of the question, as long as you're willing to listen to your mother and quickly find a good man... Wow?"
Baro reached out and caught the flying flame blade. His seemingly unremarkable skin was unharmed, but a piece of his magnificent royal robe was ignited by a spark.
"It's real flame? This is high-grade magic iron equipment? No, it looks like ordinary material..."
Baro looked curiously at his daughter who had drawn her sword in "rebellion": "Come on, let me see what other tricks she has up her sleeve?"
Celine snorted and waved her hand: "Everyone, proceed according to plan!"
The Zhanxing Guards paused for a moment, and only after the Grand Master standing behind His Majesty the King nodded in approval did they draw their swords and join Celine's ranks, pointing their rune-inscribed longswords at Baro.
"flame!"
"Frost!"
"Gale!"
"rock!"
"Thunder!"
"Toxic!"
"dark!"
"die!"
"fear!"