Chapter Seventy-Six: Wilson’s Secret
“That damned beast, little Wilson, murdered his father and ambushed me on the eve of my exposing his plot, imprisoning me in this cellar where no one can find me to suffer and die.”
It really sounds like something a beast would do.
“What was Wilson’s motive, and what is ‘his plot’ you speak of?” Li Wen continued to press.
The old man’s eyes were fixed on Li Wen, as if trying to see exactly who this girl beneath the cloak was.
“The Wilson family has believed in the doctrines of the Blood Lust Cult for generations, and they are all its followers. I only learned this later. But Petrie was different; he tired of the ethereal doctrines and joined the army in his youth to contribute to the country.
“Petrie was a natural-born soldier. Under his command, we… the kingdom’s soldiers were invincible. Even the scum from the Iris were defeated, and he achieved numerous military merits… the great Queen personally awarded him…”
When mentioning the old Wilson, the old man’s eyes were filled with reverence and fervor.
“But after the little beast was born, everything changed. Petrie was forty-five that year. I vaguely recall it was a winter, a cold and cruel afternoon. The evening bell echoed in the church as Petrie’s beloved wife, after giving birth to that little beast, unfortunately passed away.
“Petrie was overcome with grief and contracted a strange illness, forcing him to retire from the army. All physicians were helpless, and he spent the rest of his days in bed until death. As for the little beast, he inherited none of his father’s strengths. He was hideous, greedy, stupid, arrogant, and only knew how to indulge in debauchery and ruin the family fortune…”
The old man grumbled about Wilson for a good three minutes before stopping to catch his breath. If he hadn’t run out of insults, Li Wen suspected he could have continued much longer.
“After the little beast came of age, the Fence Wood Battle broke out. The little beast, wanting to emulate his father’s legend, led his father’s former subordinates into battle. We were too naive then, thinking it was the Glor appearing. The little beast finally awakened…”
At this point, the old man spat.
“That conceited fool didn’t value his soldiers’ lives, casually sending them to their deaths, squandering all of his father’s accumulated subordinates and reputation, and finally fleeing from the battlefield in disgrace! It was a disgrace!
“Upon returning, the little beast didn’t reflect on his failure. Instead, he complained about why the Queen hadn’t granted him any rewards, let alone a medal… Hah, if I were Her Majesty the Queen, the first thing I’d do is apprehend the little beast and make him atone for the soldiers who died on the battlefield!
“After that, Petrie learned of the little beast’s foolish actions, called him into his room, severely reprimanded him, and stated that he would never pass on the title to the little beast. A month later, the poor Petrie’s illness worsened, and he died a sad death on his cold sickbed… I should have known, I should have guessed, the little beast had completely lost his mind…
“Petrie didn’t die of illness, but was murdered by his son, that damned little Wilson! That beast, he personally killed the father who gave birth to and raised him!”
Li Wen remained silent. This was indeed something that scoundrel would do.
“After the old Wilson died, the Wilson family and the entire Black Dragon Territory fell into the little beast’s hands. Since then, the little beast has rarely appeared in public, spending all his days in the mansion. No one knows what he is plotting, but servants often disappear mysteriously within the mansion, sometimes one, sometimes several people…
“That’s the little beast researching the evil sorcery and secret rituals passed down in the Wilson family. He needs human lives and corpses as sacrifices, so he continuously and secretly murders the household staff and servants. But this is undoubtedly a drop in the bucket. The ritual requires too many sacrifices; even if little Wilson killed everyone in the mansion, it wouldn’t be enough. Furthermore, some of the materials needed for the ritual’s construction are not obtainable by a mere lord of a remote region like him.
“So, he made a deal with an evil society, promising them something in exchange for sufficient materials, while also hiring mercenaries to collect corpses… No, rather than collecting, it’s more accurate to say they were manufacturing corpses. Those mercenaries would commit massacres within the territory, then disguise them as attacks by beasts or goblins. The little beast, in his capacity as the lord, would endorse them and issue bounties for the extermination of beasts and goblins… The mercenaries, ostensibly accepting the bounties to exterminate beasts, were secretly creating sacrifices for the ritual through massacres…”
This information aligned with what Li Wen already knew, so the old man’s words were at least partially believable.
“Then what happened?”
She asked.
“While organizing the old lord’s belongings, I found his secretly left-behind will. He wrote down all the secrets of the Wilson family. A long time ago, the Wilson family had been serving the Blood Lust Cult. This is a cult that believes in bloodlines and desires. They would perform large-scale orgy unions during the blood moon and then give birth to offspring who were said to have divine blood flowing through them.
“Those offspring are usually ugly and deformed, not resembling humans. The little beast believes himself to be a divine child, as he is also hideous and revolting to look at. The Wilson family keeps the secret rituals of the Blood Lust Cult. That ritual can extract the residual spirituality from the corpses of the deceased, and then, with immeasurable and vast spirituality, stimulate the divine blood within the offspring, causing it to awaken and ascend, entering the embrace of the Mother God of Blood Lust.
“After obtaining the will, I left Wilson Castle, only to find that the entire castle, and even the entire Wilson Town, had been controlled by the little beast through some unknown method. He doesn’t allow anyone to enter or leave… Relying on the skills and experience honed in battle, I was fortunate enough to escape and head to the nearby Black Sand Town, wanting to report to the Candle Sun Church there…
“But no one could have imagined that the pastor of the Black Sand Town church was already one of little Wilson’s lackeys. He ambushed me when I wasn’t paying attention. When I woke up again, I was already chained here. That disgusting face of the little beast was right in front of me. He said the ritual was complete, and no one would be able to stop him anymore. He wouldn’t kill me immediately, but would wait until the ritual was finished, and use me as the first blood he would drink.”
Very good, this is how villains die.
“How long have you been trapped here?”
“God knows,” the old man gave a bitter laugh. “The little beast forced me to drink his blood. Since then, I’ve lost all my strength, but I no longer feel hunger or thirst.”
“You’re telling me all this, do you want me to stop him?”
“He said no one can stop him, and I don’t think you can either… But if no one stops him, little Wilson’s ritual will surely be completed, and by then, the entire Black Dragon Territory will become hell.”
Li Wen nodded in understanding. “One last question, how do I kill him?”
