Chapter 10: Unknown Faction
The female assassin was near death, but she couldn't die yet. At least, Su Xiao wouldn't let her die. A hidden mission related to the main quest hadn't been triggered yet, especially since this was a reward-type mission.
"Don't let her die."
As Duke Lilin's words fell, several soldiers stepped forward. One stomped on the female assassin's head while the others administered emergency treatment.
"We're being watched."
Lady Moon Wolf sat leisurely to the side, taking a light sip of the black tea in her cup.
"The first assassination target was that old fellow, but he dodged it last night."
Duke Lilin glanced at Su Xiao as he spoke.
"Since the second target was Raging Lion, the third target is likely Duke White Dragon."
Su Xiao examined the female assassin's injuries. She wouldn't die anytime soon.
"Impossible," Lady Moon Wolf flatly denied. After a moment of contemplation, she said, "No one would go to his estate to assassinate him. That couldn't succeed."
"Then the third target is you."
"..."
Lady Moon Wolf frowned at Su Xiao, staring for a moment.
"Alright, it's very likely me."
Lady Moon Wolf was smiling, but her smile sent chills down one's spine.
Clearly, everyone present was sharp. A certain faction was assassinating dukes, and they had already succeeded once. The old duke had known about this before last night, which was why he withdrew the guards from his estate. This move directly cost the assassins their opportunity.
Perhaps startled by the assassins, they chose to strike this morning, targeting Duke Raging Lion Gilbert, who held military power. The result was success.
Not only that, but these assassins hadn't left the winery. They were waiting for an opportunity to strike other dukes who might appear. For these two assassins, eliminating Duke Raging Lion was the meaning of their existence. If they could kill another duke, even dying would be dying for honor.
The situation within Arlans City was growing increasingly complex. With high-ranking dukes dying, how far could the assassination of the Saint King be?
Clearly, these people's actions directly conflicted with Su Xiao's mission. Who knew what form their assassination of the Saint King would take? If they used a high-powered explosive to shatter the Saint King's heart, Su Xiao's mission would fail.
After advancing to the sixth rank, Su Xiao could no longer fully exempt the forced execution. He had obtained a privilege at lower ranks to exempt one forced execution penalty for mission failure, but that only applied to forced executions caused by mission failure. Moreover, that privilege only had an "absolute authority" effect from ranks 1 to 5.
This "talisman" had given Su Xiao peace of mind for a long time, but after advancing to the sixth rank, it wasn't as effective. Although it could exempt one forced execution, it would also deduct 50% of all his attributes—a devastating outcome.
If the Saint King's body was obliterated, Su Xiao would lose 50% of all his attributes. Worse, it would allow Xi's growth to continue unchecked.
What to do when encountering conflict during a mission? Negotiate with that unknown faction? Don't be ridiculous. Entrusting one's safety to an unknown faction was a very foolish act.
Since it conflicted with his mission, Su Xiao decided to root out that faction, wipe them all out, and then find an opportunity to kill the Saint King.
Or rather, this was a godsend. If he eliminated that unknown faction, the dukes, and even the Saint King, would let their guard down around him. That would be the opportunity.
With these thoughts, Su Xiao's train of thought became completely clear.
"This person, I'm taking."
As he spoke, Su Xiao gestured for Amu to hoist the female assassin.
"Fine."
"No."
Lilin and Lady Moon Wolf had completely opposite attitudes. After witnessing Su Xiao's abilities, Lilin agreed to let him handle this matter.
"Reason."
Su Xiao and Duke Lilin both looked at Lady Moon Wolf.
"Lilin, what are you thinking? He's one of that old fellow's men. Have you forgotten what that old fellow did? Even if you've forgotten, Lilin, I haven't."
Lady Moon Wolf's words made Duke Lilin fall silent for a moment.
"Let's decide by voting."
Duke Lilin proposed a relatively "fair" method.
"Fine."
Bang!
Lady Moon Wolf slammed her black tea cup onto the table. She was furious but still had to maintain elegance. She stood up to leave, but before going, she shot Su Xiao a glare. The look didn't show anger but was instead somewhat alluring.
"I'll leave this to you."
With those words, Duke Lilin also walked out of the castle. He had already decided that, in the near future, he would stay as far away from Su Xiao as possible. He couldn't die yet. Many people needed him, and this empire, on the verge of complete decay, also needed him to sustain it. Before choosing a successor, he couldn't die. Even if only his head remained, he had to maintain this country. That was the glory of his family.
"They... both ran?"
Baha sighed. In his perception, the two dukes had simply fled.
"Who knows."
Su Xiao let out a long sigh of relief inwardly. Among the five dukes, there was no ruler of the level of Old Lion or Harold. As for the Saint King, he couldn't figure him out yet. In fact, he had no chance to probe him at all. The Saint King was always sleeping, which was somewhat unsolvable.
The soldiers in the castle stood at attention. This world's gunpowder technology was still in its infancy. Most gunpowder firearms were flashy and impractical, so the soldiers used cold weapons.
Su Xiao rubbed his brow. After wandering around the winery a few times, he also left. He had originally wanted to try his luck, hoping someone would jump out to assassinate him. Unfortunately, his luck was poor. No one came.
Meanwhile, five kilometers east of the winery, a group of men and women in black robes had gathered. Among them, four had particularly distinctive auras. They were contractors from Death Paradise.
"What the hell, this is way too thorough! Ghost Shadow got caught just like that? Weren't you saying she was one of the top five assassins in your organization in terms of stealth? And this? Top five?!"
The loud-voiced contractor's voice cracked, matching his inner turmoil that refused to calm down.
"This guy is... a contractor?"
A female voice came through. Strangely, the four of them were conversing without any regard for the natives of this world. In reality, they had activated a "negotiation protection mechanism" to shield part of their conversation, preventing the triggering of penalty mechanisms. Even if they lost some Death Gold Coins, it would still be a heavy loss.
"Have you ever seen a contractor who climbed to the position of duke?"
"Uh... good point."
"What do we do next?"
"Of course, we eliminate him first. If we don't remove this kind of ruler, we'll be picked off one by one sooner or later."
After a brief discussion, the group of over a dozen decided to plan first and then assassinate this duke named Kukulin.
...
Arlans City, a two-story civilian residence. This was one of the old duke's properties. Besides the two floors above ground, there was also an underground level.
In the sunlit hall on the second floor, Su Xiao sat at the dining table. The female assassin sat across from him, a look of utter bewilderment on her face.
The female assassin was called Ghost Shadow. From a young age, she had undergone training with a single goal: to assassinate Duke Raging Lion Gilbert. That was her lifelong mission. After completing it, she would die without regrets.
In Ghost Shadow's view, being captured alive meant she would face inhuman treatment. But she wasn't afraid because she was ready. After death, she would return to the embrace of the gods, and her statue would stand forever in the Hall of Heroes.
Then, Ghost Shadow wasn't tortured. The enemy used some kind of drug to partially control her mobility, then loosened the iron chains binding her, allowing her to move freely. They even provided her with exquisite food.
"Sis, don't worry. We're not bad people. See, we even give you food."
Baha tried his best to force a smile on his bird face.