Chapter 60: The Truth Revealed [VIP]
"Let me out! Let me—"
After standing in the dark water dungeon and shouting several times, and making sure that there would be no response, Xiao Yun pretended to be desperate and sat down, taking out the magic lighting tools he had prepared long ago.
Snap!
The lighting tool embedded with the energy crystal emits a soft light that is enough to illuminate an area with a radius of three meters.
(No wonder Yaris said that the magic system is another kind of science.)
With this in mind, Xiao Yun unfolded the parchment scroll that detailed the underground passages of Paradise City. Romila, a succubus who claimed to have lived for a thousand years, said that she had used many tricks to trick this map from the ancestors of Tales.
(My dear young master, how are you going to thank me after this is done?)
Romila's unique, sticky voice that made people feel extremely uncomfortable rang in her ears.
Xiao Yun shook his head and walked towards the exit according to the instructions on the map.
…
Perhaps it was because of the long time, or perhaps it was because the city lords of all generations were tyrants. Xiao Yun finally walked out of the water prison with the help of the map and holding the lighting, but unknowingly walked into a strange and deserted corridor that was not marked on the map.
The corridor was very long, with no end in sight. Both sides of the corridor were lined with rooms, all with closed doors. Moreover, there was a niche between every two doors, with candles lit in the niches.
All the candlesticks and the candles inserted in them were very clean, without a drop of wax leaking out. The candle flames were also very stable and would not sway slightly due to the breathing or wind caused by the walking of Xiao Yun, a living person.
(This corridor is abnormal!)
Xiao Yun stopped and looked around.
(In this castle, there are tens of thousands of resentful spirits and undead souls wandering around, all of them victims of the tyranny and evil deeds of the successive lords of Kukuchia.)
Yaris's words emerged in his mind, and Xiao Yun decided to leave this weird place immediately!
However--
There was something shaking in the air.
"Chuckle~Chuckle~"
A strange laugh sounded, seemingly coming from the front, yet also from behind.
(There is definitely a big problem here!)
Xiao Yun tensed his muscles, ready to—
Creak——
A door slowly opened, and a blonde girl about twelve or thirteen years old walked out from behind the door with a lovely smile.
"elder brother……"
(who is she?)
"Brother, don't you remember me? I'm your sister! Your most beloved sister!"
The girl looked up and stared at Xiao Yun with her emerald-bright eyes.
Her face is very lovely and her eyes are full of kindness.
But when being stared at by such a cute and innocent girl, Xiao Yun had a strange feeling, as if the air was solidifying and turning into a sticky, heavy substance like glue, and he was the prey that the sticky, heavy "air" was trying to capture.
"Why don't you answer me?"
The girl continued to ask questions, her big eyes shining with crystal light.
Xiao Yun turned his head and clenched his teeth.
A strong intuition told him that he couldn't answer the girl. Once he started talking to the girl -
The sticky feeling of the air became more and more obvious, and it seemed as if invisible sticky hands were emerging from the floor, trying to grab his ankles and pull him in!
(We have to get out of here!)
Xiao Yun, who was not frightened by the abnormal situation, ignored the girl in front of him, moved his feet, and slowly walked towards the front of the corridor.
"—Why? Why? Brother, why don't you answer me? Can't you see me?"
"Please! Talk to me! I've been waiting for my brother for a long, long time..."
"...Brother! You are so beautiful! I really like you!"
“…”
The girl kept chattering as she chased Xiao Yun who was trying to cross the corridor, constantly talking to him in increasingly heated terms.
Xiao Yun completely ignored her advances, as if he was not bothered at all by the increasingly sticky and heavy air, nor did he feel the strange soft black substance constantly emerging from the floor beneath his feet. He was as calm as if he was walking in an empty corridor.
"elder brother--"
The girl let out a scream of unwillingness.
"Give up! You can't go back to your original world! Stay with us! We will let you do whatever you want like a king!"
With these words, the originally closed doors on both sides of the corridor all opened, and young and beautiful men and women of different types walked out of the rooms and stretched out their hands to Xiao Yun.
"Hey, bard, stay here! We'll serve you like a king and give you the ultimate pleasure~"
"Whether you want a beautiful woman or a handsome man, even if your preferences are more perverted than those of animals, we can satisfy you~"
"This is the place where Kukuchia's desires are released with the greatest freedom, because only complete and unrestrained indulgence can create such a beautiful and luxurious place, yet also filled with pain and resentment."
"The bard who came here unexpectedly, join us~ Become our talker and spend the rest of your life with us~"
"Even after your death, for your pleasure, we were attacked by all kinds of demons during our lifetime~"
"Come on, come on!"
You Xiaoyun, close to his body, tried to arouse his desire or sympathy.
(I'm sorry... but I can't answer your questions!)
(I must straighten out and torture the alternate dimension born from the bleeding, completing what I should do! And then completely liberate you!)
Xiao Yun moved his feet carefully, without lingering his gaze.
"Give up! Once you come here, you're doomed to never leave!"
"Wouldn't it be nice to stay with us forever? We love you so much~"
"Do you really think you can leave here? Anyone who sets foot here is doomed to be unable to leave!"
“…”
(No, I can!)
Xiao Yun silently emphasized in his heart.
As if to dampen his resolve, a strange wind suddenly blew in the corridor, carrying with it the sound of giggles.
It was a laughter full of malice and twisted pain.
"You idiot! You think you can get out of here!"
"Take a good look at this place and see what we have suffered in our lifetime!"
"I was locked in a room without food, biting off my own hands and feet out of hunger, dying in despair and pain..."
"The newborn baby was thrown to death in front of its mother... The mother didn't even have time to feed the child... and then she was killed by the villain..."
"I have a pair of beautiful eyes, and he dug out my eyeballs..."
"For hundreds of years... countless bloody incidents have occurred here, but no one has ever been brought to justice for their actions!"
“…”
(Enough!)
Xiao Yun closed his eyes.
"I don't know if you can hear me, or understand my determination, but I must tell you that I will walk out of this corridor entangled with your resentment, lead my army to capture Paradise City, and end Talese's brutal rule!"
"I know you died with pain and resentment, you didn't accept death! You wanted to live! But you're already dead! Leaving me here won't bring the dead back to life! Letting me go will prevent the living from having to endure your suffering!"
"Accept death! Let everything in Kukuchia start anew!"
In an instant, a strong light flowed out of Xiao Yun's body.
The undead who encountered the light let out distorted screams.
"N-No! Stop it!"
This is a creepy picture.
In the dark, ghostly space with faint candlelight flickering, Xiao Yun's body floated in the air, shining like the sun that appeared out of nowhere, with dense swarms of vengeful spirits gathered around and under him.
They grabbed at him ferociously and painfully, uttering horrifying screams.
But when their bodies were completely enveloped by the light—
The screaming faces gradually calmed down, and the corpses fell to the ground one by one, returning peacefully to the embrace of death, quickly rotting, drying up, and turning into dust...
A fresh breeze blew from the front. Xiao Yun took a breath of the air filled with the scent of grass and strode forward.
…
…
"stop!"
In front of the Little Moon Palace, Paladin Mikael sternly looked at the uninvited Tales and his companions: "His Highness is taking a nap!"
"Can't I go in too?"
Romila pouted and acted coquettishly, her fair face exuding the lewdness and obscenity of a succubus.
"Can't!"
Mikael remained unmoved: "His Highness has ordered that during the nap period, only the bard Claude can enter without notification!"
"Why?"
Romila tries to ingratiate herself with Mikael.
“No reason!”
"What if..."
Romila rolled her eyes and shouted, "I want to see His Highness and report that Count Talese murdered the bard Claude!"
"ah?!"
"—Romila! Are you crazy?"
Talles was shocked and angry, and was about to curse, but was stopped by the paladins present.
Michael announced solemnly, "Count Talese, Romila has just made a very serious accusation. I must take you to see His Highness immediately!"
"A very serious charge?"
Talese was stunned. "First of all, I didn't kill Claude. Secondly, he was just a bard. Is the life of a bard worth alarming the Holy Duke?"
"Your Highness has always—"
"I know the Holy Duke is gentle and kind, and he hates death and murder. But this is Kukuchia, where the Sea God is worshipped, not the Sun Empire, where the Twin Gods are the main gods! As Kukuchia's highest authority and judge, even if I killed the bard Claude for personal reasons, it would be a trivial matter not worth mentioning!"
Talese's attitude was very arrogant.
"I even think His Highness the Grand Duke is grateful to me! Because of my prompt decision, I saved His Highness's holy reputation as the High Priest of the Twin Gods!"
"this……"
Mikael frowned. "Normally, what you say makes sense, but Claude, who you may have killed, wasn't just a bard. He had another identity..."
"What's your identity?"
Talese was in an irritable mood and didn't notice at all that his arrogant attitude might anger the other party.
"He is your Highness's only brother, Prince Lucien, Grand Marquis of Gaula."
"What!"
"Impossible! Impossible!"
Thales came back to his senses and screamed: "How could Claude be--"
"Unfortunately, these are all true."
Mikael announced coldly.
"But……"
Talese turned pale.
"Since he is His Highness's brother, why... is there something between him and Alfonso... so... so..."
Gradually, he began to make sense of the situation and started to yell, "Romila! You lied to me! You've been lying to me all along! You liar! You shameless villain!"
"Do I have a duty to tell you the truth?"
Romila laughed triumphantly.
"Don't forget, I am the most notorious succubus in Flower Street. Anyone who sleeps with me will pay a terrible price."
"So you...you..."
"It's all your own fault!"
Romila looked directly at Talese and spoke calmly.
"No! No!"
Talese exploded.
He bared his teeth and roared, "What do you want to do? Are you crazy? Tomorrow is the Sea God Festival! If I, as the city lord, don't attend the ceremony, the Sea God's wrath will engulf the entire city! No one will survive!"
"That's not something we need to be concerned about."
Mikael ordered the paladins to restrain Count Talese and take him to the hall to stand trial by the Grand Duke.
"Should I go too?"
Romila pretended to be innocent.
Mikael glared at him coldly.
…
"Tales, I have received accusations from Romila and others. They report that you have committed lawless crimes in Paradise and even killed my dear brother Lucien. Do you want to defend yourself?"
"certainly!"
Talese straightened his back and replied calmly, "I am the highest authority and judge of Kukuchia. All those who died in Paradise City were judged by me before they died. Their deaths were the result of fair trials, not lynching or tyranny!"
“…”
The many servants from Paradise City who rushed over after hearing the news—including Thales' most trusted steward—could not help but roll their eyes when they heard this.
No one knows what kind of city Kucukia is better than them.
This independent and autonomous coastal city-state has been under the brutal rule of the Tales family for hundreds of years. Countless people have been tortured or even killed simply because they did not please the count, leaving no trace of their bodies.
"As for the matter of Master Lucien... I'm sorry, I was only just informed that the bard Claude was your biological brother."
Talese continued to talk.
"Because I didn't know Claude's true identity, I was furious when I saw His Highness being so intimate with a bard, even summoning him to his bedroom! Ultimately, under Romila's instigation, out of respect for the Twin Gods and the urge to preserve the Holy Family's reputation, I imprisoned Claude in the water dungeon."
"I'm deeply sorry, but it was Romila who pushed Master Lucien into the dungeon! Not me!"
"I pushed Master Lucien into the dungeon on the Count's orders!"
Romila said, "And Count Talles didn't order me to kill Lucien for the noble reason of defending the honor of the Holy Family! He did it simply because Young Master Lucien repeatedly rejected his advances!"
"What!"
Tales was so angry that smoke came out of his head. He rushed towards Romila, but was stopped by Mikael and others.
"Go on, I want to know everything."
"Yes, sir."
Romila licked her lips and looked at Yaris's face greedily.
"Ever since Young Master Lucien became famous in the red-light district as the bard Claude, Count Talles has coveted Young Master Lucien's beauty. He sent his men to abduct him to Paradise City on charges of illegally practicing medicine and being disrespectful to the city lord. Fortunately, the 'Mercenary King' Alfonso, who was visiting the city, had learned of the bard Claude's true identity through other channels and took Young Master Lucien away under the pretext that Claude was his lover."
"However, Talles didn't give up. He introduced me to Alfonso, asking me to alienate them and get Alfonso to abandon Claude. He would then be able to take the unprotected Claude as his lover. Out of respect for the 'Saint of Flower Street' and the 'Angel of the Colosseum,' I chose to play along with them to fool Talles."
"Afterwards, His Highness came to Kukuchia. Seeing His Highness's close relationship with Young Master Lucien, Talles became enraged and attempted to use force to force them apart! I was forced to push Young Master Lucien into the water dungeon in front of him, hoping that Young Master Lucien could escape Paradise City through the underground passage."
"... Romila! You male prostitute! Bastard! Liar! I should have thrown you into the dungeon right then and there!"
Tales was so angry that he jumped up and down, but was blocked by the crossed spears and could only curse wildly!
"Even if I've committed a crime, what can you do to me? This is Kukuchia! It's my city! My Knights will protect me! The 'Priest of the Sea God' has always protected my family! Kill me, and you'll face the wrath of the entire city! And the retribution of a tsunami!"
"Yeah?"
Sitting on the throne, Yaris revealed an extremely charming smile: "Will killing you really bring about such a huge retribution?"
"What did you say!"
Talese was furious.
Just then, he heard a strange sound!
"W-What is this!?"
There was the sound of military fighting outside!
"What the hell is going on out there! Ahhh...what is that! What are they shouting about! Wahhhhhhhhhh!"
"My Lord Earl! We, we..."
Cavalry Captain Carilla ran into the hall, but before he could finish his words, Alfonso, who had chased him into the Little Moon Palace, stabbed him in the heart with a long sword!
"--what happened!"
Realizing his life was in danger, Talese panicked.
"Oh!"
Alfonso drew the sword that had killed Carilla, shook off his blood-soaked white cloak, strode over to Yaris, and knelt on one knee, his eyes filled with longing and admiration. "Your Highness, Alfonso apologizes for being so preoccupied with trivial matters that I haven't appeared before you until now."
"What's the situation outside now?"
"The defense forces of Lower Kukuchia have all been disarmed, and the Knights Guard of Paradise City have also been eliminated by us."
"Where's my brother?"
"Young Master Lucien is leading a team to the Kukuchia Mountain Mine to liberate the slaves there. He promises to return to His Highness before dark."
"So you've taken Kukuchia."
"Yes, completely occupied."
Hearing this, Thales was stunned and muttered in confusion: "...Impossible...Impossible...How could you possibly...could..."
"Although Kucukia is a city-state, it has an army of over five thousand... Even if your men are brave and skilled in battle... with only two hundred men... plus the Paladins accompanying the Holy Duke and the guards secretly protecting Prince Lucien, it's impossible... impossible to capture and control the entire city in less than half a day..."
"I indeed only brought two hundred people with me when I entered the city, but in the following half month, another five hundred people secretly entered Kukuchia, not to mention—"
"We don't participate in the gladiatorial contests for the prize money!"
Lance walked into the hall and took off his metal mask.
"Lance! It's actually Lance!"
Talese cursed: "I should have known... I actually, actually..."
"Your mistake wasn't just that you didn't realize in time that 'Masked Warrior' Brandi was actually Lance!"
Xiao Yun walked through the courtyard where the flames of war were about to die out and appeared in front of Talese, his brown curly hair shining in the evening light.
"I originally intended to sneak into Kukuchia secretly and rescue the members of the various jungle tribes who had been sold there through various means over the years. But your actions were so brutal that I couldn't tolerate them. So I took the initiative to form an alliance with Alfonso and agreed to overthrow your brutal rule together."
"—The person we should thank most for the smooth progress of our plan is you. Your bloody rule has almost all of Kukuchia's civilians on our side, and your army fled like rats one after another when they realized your tyranny was about to collapse!"
"You mean... you think it's me, I..."
"Yes!"
Alfonso's face was filled with a cruel yet happy smile: "After the incident of 'The Angel of the Colosseum', all the gladiators were conquered by Lucien's charm. Therefore, when he left Upper Cucuccia through the underground passage and came to the Colosseum to meet up with Reims and his men, the gladiators on the scene volunteered to join the team!"
"ah--!"
Talese let out a heart-wrenching scream.
"Even the Flower Street is on the young master's side."
Romila licked her lips and flattered, "After the prostitutes on the Red Street learned of your plan, they all got the Paradise Knights who were spending money there drunk last night, then tied them up or secretly broke their swords... The people on the Red Street don't have weapons, but they've been doing their best to help you overthrow your tyranny!"
"No! No! I—"
"Tales, never underestimate the ants under your feet. When they unite, they can kill the most powerful giant."
Yaris sighed softly and closed his eyes.
This action made Talese feel great fear and he lost all his strength.
(Yaris closed his eyes! He issued my death sentence!)
(I'm dying! I'm losing my life!)
"No! No! I don't want to die!"
Talese shouted angrily, uttering a desperate curse: "Come! Kill me! Whoever kills me will bear my curse and die miserably at the hands of the 'Priest of the Sea God'!"
"Do you think I'm scared?"
Alfonso stood up and swung his sword at Tales.
"I have already embarked on the bloody road of Shura, and tens of thousands of people have died at my hands! Your curse—"
"Wait a moment!"
Xiao Yun grabbed Alfonso's sword-wielding hand and said, "I have a better idea."
"What's the idea?"
Yaris opened his eyes and looked at his brother with interest.
"It would be too easy for Tales to die as a defeated warrior under Alfonso's sword. I want him to be judged by the people of Kukuchia! He will be hanged on the gallows as he deserves!"
"But doing so will completely offend the 'Priest of the Sea God'. Tomorrow's Sea God Festival—"
"It's okay. It's very rude to take the Sea God Priest's city without telling him."
Yaris spoke gently with a sarcastic smile.
He stood up, walked through the long corridor strewn with corpses, and reached the highest point of Paradise City. Pointing at the city where black smoke and cooking smoke rose in the sunset, he sighed to his brother behind him, "Look, this debauched city built on the blood, tears, and suffering of countless wronged souls is about to be reborn in blood and fire."
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