Chapter 595: Mark and Question

The morning sun painted the sky a tangerine hue—it should have been a tranquil, peaceful scene.

But a thick plume of black smoke billowed upward, radiating scorching heat, and the acrid, burnt stench of flame clashing with clear water ruined everything.

Grand Commander Carter stood on the street, where every paving stone had been turned over, his face ashen.

The flames before him gradually burned the entire city hall down until only a scrawny framework remained.

The mages' water-craft and rain-summoning had no effect whatsoever on those ghostly blue flames.

They could only shield themselves with flame-resistant spells and force their way in, trying to rescue any comrades who might still be alive inside.

However.

There were only corpses—one after another—each with its skull violently blasted apart.

Grand Commander Carter's eyelid twitched.

The towering fury in his eyes kept building.

How long has it been.

Apart from the Heavenly Court Flower Nation, how long has it been since anyone dared provoke and murder them like this.

"Commander Carter."

A kindly voice called out.

He turned and saw the elderly Cardinal shuffling over slowly with a cane, and shook his head with a bitter smile:

"Your Eminence, my apologies for waking you."

"I'm old—I sleep early and wake early. It's nothing."

Cardinal David looked with sorrow at the corpses on the ground, each covered by a white cloth, then closed his eyes in anguish.

"What a pity, truly a pity."

"Sigh—yes, the ones who followed along were all gifted children. What a shame."

"Indeed, such gifted children—it's just a pity their divine peaches are all shattered, so they cannot make one final offering to Yige."

Grand Commander Carter froze, his eyelid twitching again.

Divine peach.

He remembered that was the Yige Sect's pretty name for the brains of intelligent races, and that the so-called "divine peach" was also an important item in their sacrificial rites.

After becoming the state religion, the Yige Sect had reined itself in—deliberately so—and rarely mentioned it anymore.

This Cardinal was a bit old; perhaps the old ways still lingered, and he simply hadn't thought it through.

"How is the situation, Commander Carter?"

"Not a single survivor. As for the perpetrator—one gate guard survived. He said it was a bald man in a prisoner's uniform, and that the man was looking for the official who'd had him locked up."

"A clumsy soliloquy."

"Yes, such an obvious self-introduction—but the bards from the various newspapers arrived even earlier than us and had already staked out the fight between Commander Eve and that bald prisoner. Shi Ying Town's cells also show signs of having been breached."

Clatter-clatter-clatter—

The heavy footsteps of a soldier in armor came from not far away.

He snapped to attention and saluted Grand Commander Carter, his face smeared with blood and grime, looking utterly wretched.

"Report, Grand Commander! Deputy Commander Levi is awake! But he refuses treatment, saying he has something to say to you and His Eminence."

"Bring him over."

"Yes!"

Not long after.

On a white stretcher stained red with fresh blood lay Deputy Commander Levi—the final 【Hero Candidate】 who had tangled with Rod—carried at a sprint by two soldiers.

This Deputy Commander Levi's once-fine armor had vanished completely, shattered beyond recognition, with what remained embedded in his flesh.

The bandaging and treatment hadn't even finished.

His handsome features, along with his chest, were painted over with churning flesh and blood.

The blood seeping through the stretcher pooled into a crooked line along the path they'd come, and in the brief pause it gathered into a puddle of blood right there.

"I-I'm sorry, Grand Commander Carter… Your Eminence… I… couldn't stop that man—"

Grand Commander Carter's expression was cold, but deep in his eyes he couldn't hide the heartache.

Cardinal David took his blood-soaked hand in his own, his voice kind and tender: "It's all right, child. You've done more than enough. Is there something you wish to say?"

Deputy Commander Levi's face was wretched: "When I… fought that man… I marked him with 【Blood-Dip Mark】 as evidence… hurry and catch him… it can close the case…"

He finished speaking, then coughed up a great mouthful of blood and passed out completely.

Grand Commander Carter could hold back no longer: "Get him to treatment at once!"

"Yes!" x2

Cardinal David straightened up, used a towel to wipe the fresh blood from his hands, and chuckled with admiration.

"Like father, like son—Rod's identity was seen through by young Levi."

"That boy is still too green—reckless."

"If young Levi were to die, the divine peach would have to be offered up."

Grand Commander Carter's body trembled: "My son's life is cheap, not worth it—let him make more contributions to the kingdom and the Yige Sect first, it won't be too late. I'll go catch the man?"

David once again wore that grief-for-all-mankind expression and shook his head: "That man is powerful—no rush at this moment. To expose him would only mean both sides go down together."

Carter looked down the street.

The hazy dust had not yet settled, shrouding the entire street that had been churned into chaos by a powerful shockwave.

He secretly let out a breath of relief.

He was beginning to believe everything the newspapers had reported.

Thinking of his son's wretched state after being struck head-on by a single punch, his face turned terribly ugly.

The entire conscription corps probably couldn't withstand a single blow from this man, could it?

One can only say he lives up to being the man listed by the Half-Deer People as the future 【Catastrophe】.

But on the surface, he merely snorted coldly: "He didn't beat around the bush; he basically warned us openly. What does my lord the Cardinal mean?"

"He wants dignity, so naturally we must have a just cause. The Campbell family is a underworld clan; even if they don't listen, we must teach them a lesson. Having them destroy each other is naturally the best outcome."

"Understood."

"Rod!"

The Witch Daphne arrived with fierce momentum before the sunshade of Henry's Farm, slapping her palm onto the brown wooden round table.

Rod lifted the black tea Tally had just brewed in time, avoiding the result of it being knocked over.

Facing the Young Lady Witch's accusation.

He guiltily turned his head away, silently sipping a mouthful of the black tea with Tally's liquid added.

Refusing to make eye contact.

The herd of cows eating fodder in the cowshed in his field of vision was occupied once again.

Daphne did not give up; she stomped two steps closer to him in a huff, her eyes filled with anger.

The softness on her chest trembled under the vigorous steps.

"If you kill, then kill, but why turn the entire street upside down!? What if the residents of Shi Ying Town get hurt!"

Sharon, the Canine Person beside her, also fanned the flames: "Exactly! What if someone gets hurt? This is the consequence of you not taking me along! Hmph! If I had gone, this wouldn't have happened."

Rod lightly kicked Sharon.

Then he was instantly kicked back, with double the force.

"I sensed beforehand that they all hid inside the cellars."

The residents of Shi Ying Town are also battle-hardened.

After experiencing several invasion incidents, they proactively dug basements under their own houses; as soon as something felt wrong, they immediately hid.

Last night, before Rod's earth-shattering punch.

His 【Spider Sense】 was maxed out, and he indeed checked the situation inside every house.

"Did any houses collapse! The glass was all shattered to pieces! A girl even had her leg broken by falling debris!"

Rod felt even more guilty and turned his head away again, dodging the Young Lady Witch's questioning.

In fact, the final punch didn't need to be thrown; it was entirely because he lost his temper.

Immediately after, he regretted it immensely.

Indeed.

Just like spiritual energy and vital essence, excessive release brings a sense of guilt.

"I apologize. I will cover the costs for the roads, houses, and comfort and treatment."

"It's not a matter of money!"

Daphne leaned in again, hands on her hips, glaring angrily.

At this moment, her face was already very close to Rod's; when their gazes collided.

Her eyes suddenly became panicked, and she quickly looked away.

She stole a glance at Sharon; seeing that Sharon was still looking at Rod with glee, she finally relaxed.

Her tone thus softened: "I'm sorry, Rod. I know you did it for Shi Ying Town; I am just very sorry, please forgive me."

"It was my problem; I lost my temper."

Rod waved his hand: "By the way, I had people forge a batch of Shi Ying Town official seal documents and distribute them into the market; many bards from various newspapers will receive them. You two don't need to worry about it for now."

(End of this chapter)