129: Hooked

Chapter 128: Hooked

“Boss, what should we do now?” the deputy asked.

“We must salvage our reputation, otherwise—”

“Reputation? Hmph! Is reputation more important than food? More important than weapons?” Joshua retorted. “As long as I can contact the caravan, these local commoners will have no choice but to obey me.

“What about the Baron? What about faith? What about murder?

“Besides, that so-called witness isn’t a Black Blood Person at all, so there’s nothing to worry about.”

The deputy’s eyes widened. “So, that was really just an act?”

Joshua poured himself a drink and walked over to the desk. “What else could it be?

“Our top priority now is to quickly get the Black Blood People to contact the caravan, so that—”

He stopped speaking, staring blankly at the bloody deerskin on the table.

Excitement appeared on Joshua’s face.

Despite his disgust, he endured the stench and read the contents on it.

“Excellent!” Joshua exclaimed happily after reading the contents on the deerskin. “Prepare my horse; I need to go see someone.”

After the Dark Lord fell into a long slumber, the Beastkins of Qingfeng Valley split into two factions.

But the Black Blood People never belonged to any faction; they were heretics, a group of savage beasts.

Even during the Dark Lord’s reign,

these mad beasts only worshipped one god: Malar, the Lord of Beasts.

Cooperating with lunatics was dangerous, and Joshua knew this full well.

But the power those lunatics possessed was also substantial.

Joshua first met Rageclaw a year ago.

That day, the Black Goat Caravan was attacked—an extremely rare occurrence.

To salvage the goods, he had no choice but to leave Mist Town with his nephew.

Afterward, they encountered the Beastkins who attacked the caravan—the Black Blood People.

Fortunately, those Beastkins, having just feasted, did not kill them immediately.

Their leader, a scarred werewolf with steel claws, gave him two choices: either be disemboweled or choose to cooperate.

He initially didn’t understand why these Beastkins wanted to cooperate with him.

But he quickly realized that this Beastkin leader, who had survived countless battles, wanted to become the new king of Qingfeng Valley.

And becoming a new king required not only personal strength.

It also required followers, supplies, and equipment, which Little Finger Merchant Guild could provide them with everything they needed.

Periodically, Joshua had to offer slaves, equipment, and essential supplies to Rageclaw.

He knew that the merchant association’s cooperation with Rageclaw was merely a common investment.

But for him, it was a life-threatening transaction; one wrong step could cost him his life.

Through trial and error, he had gained some experience—in front of the Black Blood People, you had to humble yourself and treat them as masters to avoid being killed.

So until today, he had done well every step of the way.

Those beasts also gave him a small reward.

The old horse laboriously climbed the small slope south of the town.

At the top of the slope was an open space, where there was originally a luxurious brick and stone townhouse.

After a great fire, only a pile of ruins remained.

Children from the town sometimes came here to play; they treated this house as a haunted house and always said they saw ghosts here.

Now, this place had become his meeting point with the Black Blood People.

During the trial just now, Arthur said he found a witness, which scared him greatly.

But upon seeing that Beastkin, he understood everything.

Now, he had received a contact letter from the Black Blood People again.

Although he didn’t know how they placed that deerskin on his desk.

But all facts proved that the baron’s self-directed play was nothing but a farce.

Thinking of this, Joshua felt a surge of happiness.

Under his continuous efforts, these foolish beasts were finally willing to go outside Qingfeng Valley to contact the caravan.

He dismounted and walked into the ruined townhouse, shouting, “I’m here, where are you?”

“Inside, come in!”

A voice came from deep within the townhouse.

Joshua cursed and asked, “You know this house isn’t very safe, right?”

“Get in, I won’t say it a second time, mortal.” The voice carried a threat. “Unless you want me to expose your murder of the mayor.”

“Alright, alright, I’m coming in, no need to get so angry.”

Joshua carefully walked into what was originally the main hall.

Half of the space here was filled with collapsed rubble.

And in front of that pile of ruins, Joshua saw that familiar figure.

However, to his surprise, that person’s hands and feet were bound, and the young baron stood beside him.

“Welcome, Joshua.” Arthur spread his arms to him. “How does it feel to see an old friend?”

Joshua froze in place, completely at a loss.

Arthur laughed. “You know? Once a person becomes overly confident, he becomes blind.

“You yearned to make contact with the outside world as soon as possible, and I merely exploited that.

“And you, like a dog that had been hungry for a long time, were so easily hooked.”

“You damned bastard!” Joshua finally reacted. “You tricked me!”

“You just admitted to conspiring to kill the mayor, didn’t you?”

“You son of a bitch outsider! What if I did?” Joshua shouted arrogantly. “Are you going to stage the same play and accuse me at the trial?

“Screw you, you have nothing.

“Mist Town is a place of law, without substantial evidence, you can’t do anything.

“It’s ironic, isn’t it? In this damned place, full of death and dark creatures, there’s still talk of law.

“Blame the Lovich family; they brought this bad habit here.”

Arthur smiled and replied, “Then let’s settle this in a lawful manner. Gentlemen, the rest is up to you.”

With that, a group of people emerged from behind the pile of ruins.

There were judges, town representatives, the Lovich siblings, and some of his followers.

Everyone’s faces were filled with shock.

“Seize him!” the judge shouted.

The Lovich siblings naturally took this matter upon themselves.

Ismark rushed furiously towards the murderer of his father.

Joshua, knowing that the tide had turned against him, turned and ran.

Heir chanted a spell, casting magic.

Joshua, who was still running, suddenly stopped, his eyes glazed over, and he obediently walked back.

It wasn’t until Ismark punched him in the face that he regained consciousness.

To prevent the enraged Ismark from strangling Joshua, the town representatives pulled him away with great effort.

“Enough, enough, child, he will receive a fair trial!”

Ismark just kept roaring, like a wounded beast.

Meanwhile, Arthur and Flora had already left the townhouse.

“Go, it’s time to set our friends free.

“Let them set a time and place; we can sit down and discuss the reward,” Arthur instructed.

Flora nodded and asked, “My Lord, may I ask who you sent to contact the Pioneer Group?”

“The Forsaken,” Arthur replied. “Ever since Marcus fell into a long slumber, they have been able to enter and exit this place.

“Although there’s still some risk, they know how to handle it.”

“Those Beastkins are dangerous.”

Arthur nodded. “I know, so we must be extra careful.

“The good news is, we have one less enemy.”