Chapter 108: The People Have Run Away
Regarding Ian's bold claims, some were willing to believe him, but more were skeptical. Ian casually swept his gaze around and took note of the expressions in everyone's eyes.
Those who believed did so, and Ian wouldn't bother explaining to those who doubted.
He simply said, "Clean this place up!"
Hogkin nodded quickly upon hearing this and called over a few people to dispose of Sirian's corpse. Throughout the process, they had to suppress their nausea to get it done.
Once that was finished, Ian said to the group, "Alright, now all of you go out and gather intelligence. Hogkin, you stay!"
The people in the room felt as if they had received a pardon and hurried out. Hogkin, on the other hand, stood nearby with a nervous expression, waiting for Ian to speak.
"Where is Sirian's treasury? Do you know?" Ian asked him.
Hogkin shook his head and said, "I don't know, but I think it should be in his room."
"Then find it!" Ian didn't waste words. In truth, he suspected Hogkin might actually know where Sirian hid his money, but in front of his new boss, he didn't dare say so, fearing it would make Ian distrust him in the future. This Hogkin was no pushover either...
Still, Ian let him go look. If he found it, it meant he genuinely wanted to pledge allegiance. If he couldn't find it or made excuses, that would be a different story.
After Hogkin withdrew, Ian finally had time to focus on the two girls flanking him on either side.
Both girls were around seventeen or eighteen years old, at the prime of their youth, yet the exhaustion on their faces was painfully obvious. When they saw Ian looking at them, they quickly forced flattering smiles and pulled his arms tighter against their chests.
Sighing, Ian said, "You don't need to do this. I'm not like that scumbag Sirian."
The girls didn't dare respond, lowering their heads while keeping their arms locked in place.
Seeing this, Ian changed the subject and asked, "Are you local residents, or tourists from elsewhere?"
"We... we're tourists from elsewhere!" one of the girls replied cautiously.
"Were you kidnapped?" Ian asked again.
But this question made the girls hesitate to answer, unsure of Ian's intentions.
"Don't worry, I'm just asking. Since you're tourists from elsewhere, tell me where you're from," Ian said. "I'll have my men look into your families' situations. If your families are still alive, I'll arrange for someone to send you back!"
Hearing this, the girls' eyes lit up, and they looked up at Ian with excitement. "Re... really?"
"Really!" Ian nodded. "I told you, I'm not a bad person."
"Th... thank you!" The girls burst into tears, leaving Ian's side to kneel before him.
"You don't need to do this!" Ian helped them up.
Then he asked about their backgrounds. Only then did the girls finally let down their guard and tell Ian their stories.
These two blonde girls—the older one named Lorraine and the younger one named Elena—had originally come with their families from a nearby island to visit the amusement park on Sabaody Archipelago. Unfortunately, they got separated from their families during the trip and were subsequently kidnapped.
Human traffickers sold them to a slave auction house, where Sirian bought them. Not only did they have to serve him daily, but they also endured constant beatings and abuse. For the past two years, they had lived a life devoid of dignity, worse than death. When Ian killed Sirian, they didn't feel relieved; instead, they grew even more anxious. The sight of Ian killing someone without a second thought made them mistakenly believe he was even more ruthless.
Yet, life was unpredictable. The cold and ruthless Ian turned out to be the real good person, willing to send them home. Lorraine and Elena were overjoyed.
When Ian arrived on Sabaody Archipelago, he had already mentally prepared himself to witness the dark side of this world. But as the two girls recounted their experiences, he couldn't help the anger rising in his chest.
Lorraine and Elena's backs were covered in scars. Despite their embarrassment, they took off their clothes to show Ian. The crisscrossing scars were from whips at the slave auction house, while the round marks were burns from Sirian's cigars and cigarette butts!
The two girls had dozens of large and small scars on their bodies, a truly shocking sight.
"That bastard deserved worse than death!" Ian said coldly, staring at the large pool of blood Sirian had left on the floor.
After a moment of thought, Ian switched to the Shelley card, activated his psychic power, and placed his hands on the girls' backs to heal their wounds. However, some old scars were too old for the Shelley card's restorative effects to work, so Ian only healed and smoothed over the newer injuries.
Even so, this brought tears to the girls' eyes again, and they hugged Ian gratefully.
"Alright, stop that. Until we hear from your families, you'll stay with me. I won't let anyone bully you anymore!" Ian patted their shoulders and said, "By the way, can you cook?"
"Yes, we can! What would you like to eat, Young Master Ian?" Lorraine wiped away her tears and smiled happily.
"Don't call me 'Young Master.' It feels weird," Ian said, scratching his head. "Anything is fine. I'm really hungry! Oh, and one more thing."
Ian said to them, "From today on, you two will be in charge of my meals, okay? To be honest, I don't trust these people from Sirian's family at all right now."
Indeed, although he had killed Sirian and taken over his former subordinates, Ian didn't trust them in the slightest. These people were scum to begin with. Coercion through force might make them obey him temporarily, but who knew what they were really thinking? They would stop at nothing to get things done, and Ian didn't want to give them a chance to poison him. So he decided to entrust his meals to Lorraine and Elena.
Now that Lorraine and Elena's hopes of returning home rested on Ian, they were truly on the same side as him.
Hearing Ian's words, the two girls felt a sense of trust and nodded vigorously, agreeing to it.
After Lorraine and Elena went to prepare food for Ian, Hogkin reappeared, carrying a small safe. He came before Ian and said, "Boss, I found it. This is where Sirian kept his money."
"Mm," Ian responded noncommittally, looking at the safe.
The safe had traces of dirt on it, as if it had been dug up from underground. Hogkin had indeed known where Sirian hid his money. Ian glanced at him and saw his uneasy expression—a mix of wanting to show loyalty and worrying about future distrust.
The safe was made of iron. Hogkin said cautiously, "Boss Ian, I don't know the password."
"No need for that trouble!" Ian stood up, drew the Enma sword, wrapped it in psychic power, and gently sliced it across the safe, cutting the door right off.
Hogkin watched in stunned disbelief. He felt that when Ian's blade struck, there was no resistance at all. How sharp was this sword!?
If Ian knew what he was thinking, he would probably laugh. The Enma sword was still just a four-star exclusive treasure. It could be upgraded using enhancement materials like magic crystals obtained from ten-draws, and once maxed out, it could be promoted to a five-star treasure. Ian estimated that the Enma sword's ability to cut through space would manifest when it reached five stars. That would be true sharpness!
The safe opened, and Ian crouched down to inspect its contents. Besides some jewelry and accessories, there were only about three million Berries inside. In total, the safe's contents were probably worth around five million Berries.
"Why is it so little?" Ian asked, frowning.
Hogkin panicked at this and swore, "Boss Ian, I swear I didn't touch a single Berry. Everything Sirian left is right here!"
Ian thought he might be overthinking it. The original Sirian family was just a low-tier organization; they couldn't possibly have Ian's ability to earn tens of millions.
Finding that Sirian's remaining wealth was so meager, Ian lost interest. After a moment's thought, he said to Hogkin, "Find someone to repair this house. Use the money from here!"
This house was a typical dilapidated building. Ian didn't want to be sitting inside one day when it suddenly collapsed...
With three million Berries in cash, it should be enough to give the house a thorough renovation.
Hearing Ian's instructions, Hogkin perked up. In fact, he had long been fed up with this crumbling house. So, after receiving Ian's orders, he immediately replied, "Don't worry, Boss Ian. I'll get on it right away!"
With that, he scurried off to find people.
However, about an hour later, while Ian was eating the food prepared by Lorraine and Elena, Hogkin returned, trembling with fear.
"What's wrong?" Ian noticed his unusual state and asked.
"B... Boss, about a dozen people from our family have run away..." Hogkin said with a grimace.