Chapter 75 Execution of the Traitors
Boss Furis looked like an erupting volcano, his face as dark as pig liver.
George realized that his poor social skills had gotten him into trouble again. He was too anxious and had asked his question at the wrong time.
Furis had been furious before. His recent actions were probably just pouring fuel on the fire.
Boss Furis ignored George’s question and waved to the kindly old man with a goat beard, “Come here, bring me my favorite thing.”
The old man with the goat beard walked over, making a “shala la la” sound, like the sound of thousands of glass shards grinding against each other.
Ji Ma followed the sound and saw that the old man had several burlap sacks hanging from his waist. He smiled warmly at Ji Ma, and she even thought he might reach out to pat her head, prompting her to take a step back to avoid the tea poison.
But this seemingly harmless old man with the goat beard caused the two big men hanging in the air to tremble at the sound of his footsteps.
“Please, no! I beg you, boss!”
“Help! Help! I’m not a traitor!”
Boss Furis urged, “Hurry up, you’re making me deaf.”
The old man with the goat beard untied a burlap sack from his waist. Ji Ma couldn’t help but stretch her neck in curiosity. The old man smiled as he opened the mouth of the sack for Ji Ma to see; it was filled with shiny, sharp glass shards.
After showcasing the contents, the old man suddenly turned the sack upside down over the heads of the two pleading men, tightly pulling the sack’s drawstring into the victims’ necks.
In an instant, the room fell silent.
Ji Ma felt a sharp pain in her face and retracted her neck.
“What a lovely little girl,” the old man with the goat beard said as he turned to Ji Ma with a kind smile. Then, with a sudden motion, he raised his muscular arms, pressing down on the back of the head of the head trapped in the sack, holding the burlap bag tightly as he twisted.
The glass shards stabbed painfully into the face of the person inside, causing them to scream. The shards flooded into their mouth.
A muffled, painful wail came from the burlap sack, and dark red blood spread across it, forming a vague visage.
The sounds of grinding glass shards mingled with the cries of pain, echoing through the room, creating an atmosphere of terror.
The male servant lowered his head, looking as if he wanted to bury his face in his feet to block out the horrid sounds.
Boss Furis tilted his chin slightly, his eyes squinting with enjoyment, as if he were savoring some indescribably delightful music.
George covered Ji Ma’s eyes, unafraid, and repeated firmly, “Introduce a few more.”
Boss Furis ignored him and told the old man with the goat beard, “Let me do it myself. Bring me that stick.”
The old man with the goat beard released his grip, his gloves already stained with blood. The burlap sack over the head was now mostly soaked with red, the deepest color at the bottom where blood dripped onto the ground.
The big man was silent now.
The old man with the goat beard spread his hands, “He’s finished.”
Boss Furis’s expression darkened slightly as he took the wooden stick handed to him by the servant. The stick was designed to be held with both hands, thick on the top and thin on the bottom, resembling a baseball bat. To increase its power, it was wrapped in a layer of metal at the end.
“At least there’s one left.”
As Boss Furis said this, he suddenly twisted his torso, swinging the stick and bringing it down hard on another burlap sack, right on the face.
A dull, painful scream erupted, sharper than the previous one.
“You’re comparing prices? Do you need to ask?” With each of his words, Boss Furis swung the stick forcefully, turning to George with a smile, “I’m talking to you. Let’s discuss while we work.”
George repeated in a steady voice, “Introduce more.”
Boss Furis set down the stick, and the burlap sack now bore an oval-shaped blood stain, with several shards even piercing through the fabric. He let out a satisfied sigh, rotated his shoulders, and said to the servant:
“Bring me my letter, and write a few introduction letters for my brave Knight Bartor.”
The servant rushed to the desk, dipped a quill in ink, and began, “Boss, what do you want to write?”
“The first letter should go to the mage Abdosiba, you come up with the greeting. Just say there is a brave knight who wants…” Boss Furis dictated each word while striking the burlap sack with the stick.
Once all five letters were finished, the sack fell silent.
George covered Ji Ma’s eyes with one hand and reached out to take the letters, saying in a low voice, “Thank you.”
“Don’t be in such a rush.” Boss Furis stopped the servant from standing up, “I haven’t sealed it with wax yet. Bring me my seal.”
The servant got up, lit a flame, and took a metal spoon, putting some wax on it before holding the spoon over the fire.
Boss Furis turned to the old man with the goat beard and said, “Dispose of this.”
Ji Ma, curious, peeked around George’s hand that was covering her eyes, but George tightened his grip. She protested, “Hey, sir, I’m mature enough. A little blood isn’t a big deal. Are you saying that when I go with you to battle, you can prevent our enemies from bleeding?”
George sighed before lowering his hand.
Ji Ma saw that the old man with the goat beard was lifting a corpse’s feet, still smiling warmly at her.
There was a small black hole in the floor, only big enough for one person to fit through, filled with water.
He stood the corpse up and dropped it into the hole. The body slid down the black hole into the water and disappeared.
Before long, the floor trembled, and beneath the surface came the sound of a tiger shark tearing flesh.
Ji Ma stared at the wet black hole, unable to suppress her imagination of slipping in and falling into the icy water.
Even Ji Ma couldn’t help but shiver slightly. Her moderate claustrophobia was kicking in.
The servant melted the red wax and said, “Done.”
Boss Furis approached, took the seal, and the servant dripped the melted wax onto the white letter paper. Boss Furis pressed down hard with the seal.
Before long, the five introduction letters were sealed, and Boss Furis handed the letters personally to George. He wore a friendly smile, as if the anger he had earlier had been entirely vented on the two unfortunate men.
George extended his hand, pinching the letters to avoid too much contact with Boss Furis.
With a smile, Boss Furis said, “Does the knight lord look down on us honorable people living underground? You don’t have to be indignant; I’m one of them too, aren’t I? Just think of it as dogs fighting dogs.”
George did not respond, taking the letters and pulling Ji Ma to turn and leave.
Behind them, the mocking voice of Boss Furis rang out: “Remember, this letter is from me, Knight Lord.”
Upon reaching the hall, the gang leaders immediately turned their attention to the two.
One asked, “What about the person who went in with you?”
“He’s not dead,” Ji Ma replied.
“Didn’t the little girl scream?”
Ji Ma shot back, “To be honest, it was quite novel. It’s my first time witnessing an interrogation in the style of Shalin City.”
The gang leaders exchanged glances, feeling that Boss Furis must be in a very good mood. Otherwise, how could such a young girl remain unperturbed?
“I’ll go first,” an elderly man with gray hair immediately stood up, taking a step forward toward the door.
Experience is prized. The other gang leaders regretted their slow reaction.
At this moment, a pale-faced servant walked in, still trembling.
“Why is the old friend so eager?” he looked at the elderly man with curiosity.
“What happened inside?” The elderly man sensed something was off; the servant looked as if he had just crawled back from hell.
“The great benefactor is very angry,” the servant whispered, “He was furious that the sweet food gang leader was hanged outside, and no one dared to tell him—it’s just something I stumbled upon.”
“Ah?”
“Why are you so surprised? Right, he’s in a rage; why would you suddenly want to see him ahead of time? That’s not like you.”
“I…”
The elderly man turned to leave.
The guard shouted, “What’s wrong? Did you forget the great benefactor’s rules?”
The elderly man forced a smile and said, “No, of course not.”
Saying this, he picked up the sack and mustered the courage to walk through the door.
On the other side.
Ji Ma brought along George’s gold double-handed giant sword, holding it close to her chest, and they retraced their steps together. They crossed the narrow hanging bridge, left the grounded ship, navigated through the chaotic underground market, and finally emerged into the sunlight from the underground waterways.
The bodies hanging outside had finally vanished. The scenery of Shalin City had again triumphed and been preserved.
They returned to the mansion, stepping out of the iron gates into the bustling market area.
George removed his helmet and took a deep breath, saying, “It feels like returning from a mouse hole to the human world. The underside of this prosperous city is indeed dirtier and bloodier than the sewers.”
Ji Ma retorted, “A city that can openly trade various slaves isn’t exactly pristine either.”
George looked at the bustling streets ahead and said, “But compared to the bloody and filthy place we just left, at least here I don’t feel as nauseated.”
George then sighed, “However, this prosperity is rooted in decaying, stinking muck, blooming like a man-eating flower.”
The two walked through the vibrant streets. The people around them were loudly haggling, looking ready to fight.
Ji Ma had to raise her voice, “Do you think the Shadow King is like a murderous version of Batman? Stabbing oppressors above, and chopping down evildoers below?”
“Batman?”
“A good term—similar to a righteous person who shouts out against injustice and draws their sword to help.”
“Shadow King Akarnis has nothing to do with justice,” George replied. “I’ve surveyed him; his heart is evil. Moreover, I’ve seen his eyes—they are filled with shadows. I think those shadows are the shadows of death, indicating he lacks humanity and relishes in spreading death.”
“Idiot, because those are my shadows! Not me personally.”
A sudden male voice interjected from Ji Ma’s left side.
It was the voice of the Shadow King.
Ji Ma’s hairs stood on end as she immediately moved closer to George. George quickly turned, putting on his helmet and reaching for the gold giant sword in Ji Ma’s embrace.
The two reacted swiftly, their movements fluid and taking less than a second.
The uninvited guest who appeared was a young half-elf dressed plainly, wearing a brown hooded cloak, with silver hair, pointed ears, and eyes that sparkled with mischief.
A gold coin flipped between the fingers on the back of his hand as he grinned widely at the startled pair.
“Ha ha ha. Hey hey, don’t rush to draw your sword. Anyway, you won’t catch me. Wielding swords randomly on the street will get you fined, you know.”
George, who had half-drawn his giant sword, sheathed it again and asked, “Are you trying to assassinate us?”
“Oh, don’t be so fierce. Just now, the three of us were very friendly when we went to meet the boss.”
