Chapter 24: The Ferocious Commander
The dining hall fell into dead silence, and it was Sir Eddie who broke the quiet first.
"Wraiths? There are wraiths in the manor?"
Sir Eddie let out a hollow laugh, as if he had heard something amusing.
"Vice-Commander... sir, do you really think I would secretly keep wraiths in my manor?"
"Exactly."
Su Xiao set down his utensils. Entering Eden Manor was a risky move, but there was a big fish here, and he even suspected that Sin might be hiding here to recover from his injuries.
"Hahaha, my Joshua family has weathered many changes alongside the Empire. Vice-Commander, do you know how much funding my ancestors, my grandfather, and my father have provided to the Empire? It's a number you can't even imagine. I would never trample generations of the Joshua family's efforts into the gutter. In other words, even if I did have wraiths here, you would at least need the approval of the councilors to search this place."
Sir Eddie slammed his utensils onto the table with a clatter and signaled for the servants to take his descendants away.
"Is that so? Then let me put it another way. Which floor of the castle is Eclipse on? She's a female wraith, likes to hunt at night, an important member of the Ghost Ring organization, and the proposer of the Eye Room project. Or rather, do you have an Eye Room here?"
Although Su Xiao wasn't yet clear on the function of the Eye Room, he had seen one before. Once set up, it was extremely difficult to destroy. At least, he had no good way to do it. Physical destruction seemed unlikely; any attempt to destroy it would cause those eyeballs to vanish, and the entire Eye Room would teleport to who knows where.
"Vice-Commander, you are a professional when it comes to wraiths, but I simply don't understand what you're saying. So let's stop this pointless argument. Even if I were guilty, it would be up to the Empire to judge me. Besides, I am innocent. So... you... have no authority."
Sir Eddie stood up. Turning against Su Xiao, a commander, was a decision he didn't regret. He had to do it. He knew what the Execution Agency was—a terrifying department, yes, but it was still an institution of the Empire. As long as it belonged to the Empire, he wasn't worried about what Su Xiao could do to him.
"Stop this pointless argument..." Su Xiao was silent for only a moment, seemingly agreeing with Sir Eddie's point, before continuing, "Very well, Sir Eddie."
The moment he finished speaking, he drew D·Assassin from his waist.
Pfft, pfft.
One shot to the head, one shot to the heart. Sir Eddie's mouth gaped open as he fell straight backward.
When Su Xiao had entered the castle earlier, he had already smelled the rancid stench of a wraith. Even though it was faint, he could still detect it.
As soon as Sir Eddie fell, Huck and Gus both stared wide-eyed. Gus even coughed, a noodle shooting out of his nostril. Both looked at Su Xiao in disbelief. They hadn't expected their commander to be so ferocious. That was Sir Eddie! Killed just like that? Just like that?
Reinhardt grabbed a dinner knife, and arcs of electricity flashed across its surface.
Whoosh~
The knife shot out, directly piercing the head of an old man, stopping him from shouting. Lightning surged through the old man's body, instantly electrocuting him. A burnt smell filled the air.
Just then, Su Xiao received a notification.
[You have killed Sir Eddie (Hybrid: Human/Wraith).]
[Sir Eddie is a Hybrid: Human/Wraith. Due to his diluted wraith bloodline, Sir Eddie's combat power is equivalent to a First Eye Wraith. Due to his special status (Pioneer, Ghost Ring organization funder, one of the founders of the Ghost Ring faction), you have gained 3.1% World Source.]
[Killing a Pioneer: Promotion Quest (First Ring) quest completion +10%.]
...
Seeing the notification from Reincarnation Paradise, Su Xiao was somewhat surprised. He had killed a big fish with just two shots! No, it was a super big fish. Moreover, judging from the notification, his previous deduction was wrong. It seemed there were indeed Pioneers. The hybrids of wraiths and humans might be the Pioneers, and furthermore, the aura of a hybrid was completely identical to that of a human.
Su Xiao had only come to capture a female wraith named Eclipse. Yet, the real big fish had been taken down by him as a side job. It was like buying a lottery ticket, not winning, but picking up a winning ticket worth millions on the ground.
"The master is dead!!"
A roar followed.
Bang!
Gunfire came from outside the room. A fist-sized hole exploded in the wooden door. It was the manor's gunmen.
"Sir, what do we do?"
Hank already knew that the ten thousand Gold Le was not easy to earn, but since he was already on this pirate ship, he had to fight for his life.
"Kill all the gunmen, ignore the servants. Arrest everyone from the Joshua family. Kill anyone who resists."
"Understood."
Gus pulled a short rod from his pocket. With a click, the rod extended to about a meter long, revealing a series of circular blades along its length. One swing of this thing would definitely tear off a chunk of flesh.
Soon, screams and roars came from outside the room.
Su Xiao picked up the utensils on the table and began to leisurely eat a lemon-grilled fish. He was indeed very hungry, having just recovered from serious injuries.
"If you think invisibility can get you close to me, I advise you to give up."
Su Xiao spoke with his mouth full of food, his words somewhat slurred.
"Mr. Kukulin, hello. I am Joshua Albert."
A man in his thirties appeared, none other than Sir Eddie's second son. He had been at the dinner table earlier.
"Planning to avenge your father?"
Su Xiao looked at Joshua Albert. The man had inherited Sir Eddie's handsome features but lacked his ruthlessness.
"No. My father gradually pushed the Joshua family into the abyss. When he personally killed my mother, he must have already gone mad. I want to make a deal with you. Let me go, and the Joshua family's wealth will be yours."
"Oh?"
Su Xiao looked at Joshua Albert with interest. He used the Apostle's Eye to probe the man's information. This was a hybrid with a very diluted bloodline, not a member of the Ghost Ring, and his combat power was even inferior to an ordinary wraith.
Joshua Albert placed a gold-inlaid iron chest on the dining table. The Realm Severing Thread wrapped around the chest. After coating his hand with a crystal layer, Su Xiao opened the chest.
Property deeds, bank deposit slips, and the like, all added up to at least 94 million Gold Le. It was a fortune that would make anyone envious, but anyone with half a brain wouldn't be interested in this money.
"If you had even a tenth of your father's intelligence, you wouldn't have handed this over to me. Hank."
"Sir, I'm here."
Hank called out from the dining hall entrance, holding a corpse in his hand.
"This is a member of the Joshua family. Arrest him."
"You!"
Joshua Albert stumbled back a few steps, his eyes full of disbelief. He hadn't tried to escape earlier, not because he didn't want to, but because he couldn't. As the second son of the Joshua family, he knew what kind of organization the Execution Agency was. The chances of escaping from the castle were too slim.
"Heh, a child spoiled by his father."
Hank had witnessed everything that happened in the room. He rushed a few steps to Joshua Albert. Just as Joshua Albert was about to fight to the death, he suddenly noticed that Su Xiao was lightly tapping his plate with the dinner knife. So, he didn't resist. The clever old man Hank only symbolically tied his hands.
Joshua Albert was smart enough. He wouldn't die, but he wouldn't be free either. Letting Su Xiao just let him go? That would be ridiculous. He wouldn't be able to explain it to Monarch Harold.
Half an hour later, the castle fell into silence. Flames spread on the first floor, gradually devouring the centuries-old castle.
...
On the fourth floor of the Parliament Palace, still in that same study.
Monarch Harold leaned back behind his desk. The crow's feet around his eyes had noticeably deepened in the past few days. His face, which had looked like he was in his forties, was now starting to look like he was in his fifties.
"Go on, what is it this time."
Harold gently rubbed his forehead and sighed. To be honest, seeing Su Xiao recently had been giving him a headache. He was mentally and physically exhausted.
"I killed Joshua Eddie."
"..."
Harold, as the Monarch, was clearly stunned for a moment. Few things could cause such a visible expression change on his face.
"When did this happen."
"Half an hour ago. This is his property."
Su Xiao took out the property deeds, bank deposit slips, and the like, adding as an afterthought: "Total value is around 94 million Gold Le."
"Reason."
"He was a hybrid of wraith and human. The body is sealed at the Execution Agency headquarters."
Harold glanced at the property deeds and bank deposit slips, then fell silent. An amount of Gold Le like this was something even he couldn't ignore.
"I'll handle the councilors. As for Joshua Eddie being a wraith-human hybrid, keep it secret for now. Kukulin, how are your acting skills?"
Harold smiled. Joshua Eddie was someone he had always wanted to kill but couldn't personally order the death of.
PS: Happy New Year! (Loud shout) Yes, New Year's greetings need to have momentum.