Chapter 44
The executive officer's entourage had arrived, and everyone dismounted. The young man with flushed cheeks hesitated for a moment, but still stepped forward.
"Sir, should we temporarily detain them in the Fourth City Prison?" He looked up at Veris. The Execution Office was located in the capital, and it seemed these two would have to be temporarily detained until the officials from the Execution Office arrived.
Veris glanced at him sideways and smiled, "No need."
As soon as the words were spoken, a light golden magic circle appeared on the ground.
The boy's eyes widened as he watched the magic circle flash with light. The bow and arrow symbol at the center was submerged in gold, and then several puppets clad in white and gold robes appeared.
Their faces were covered with bronze masks, and on their foreheads were inlaid a bow and arrow emblem carved from white crystal. The pattern of the Executioner's Office appeared on the back of their robes, gleaming with a dark red light. A cold wind blew through their white and gold robes. They wore long swords at their waists and knelt on one knee.
Veris raised his hand and said with a smile, "Take your words to the execution chamber."
The executive officer looked at the puppet standing in the magic circle, a glint of light flashing in his eyes. Their location was also convenient, only two streets away from the Fourth Building, which was why the executive officer had arrived so quickly with his men after receiving the news.
I thought this was just another case of bullying others with their power, but I never expected that brat had messed with someone truly formidable.
The puppets surrounded Thorne and Dracos, and one of them produced a magical artifact that could imprison power, and walked towards Thorne.
No, we can't just sit here and wait to die!
"Wait!" Thorne thought to himself, but then he heard someone shout loudly. They were still some distance away, but it successfully drew the black-haired youth's attention away.
Even passersby who were hiding in the shops dared to come out now. The executive team was all here, what was there to be afraid of! Besides, Thorne looked like he was in deep trouble, serves him right!
Upon hearing someone stop them, these people immediately turned their heads excitedly to look in the direction from which the sound came.
It happens to be at the other end of the street.
Several people rode up on horseback, their uniforms predominantly black with gold belts around their waists and gold badges on their chests; they were members of the Golden Merchant Guild.
"Is the Golden Merchant Guild going against the High Papacy for Thorne?"
"Shh, this isn't even the capital yet. Most of the powerful figures from the High Papacy are in the capital and the Capital Academy. Isn't the Fourth District Cathedral under the jurisdiction of the Grand Apothecary? The Golden Merchant Guild's headquarters are located here. If a fight breaks out, it's hard to say what will happen."
A person nearby exclaimed in shock: "The Golden Merchant Guild dares to challenge the Grand Papacy?"
"Hasn't that lord not shown up for a long time? Everyone says he's lived for so long, he's already... gone."
"In recent years, the Golden Chamber of Commerce has also absorbed many powerful individuals. Nearly half of the graduates from the Royal Capital Academy have joined the Golden Chamber of Commerce."
The shocked man was still puzzled: "But didn't the Papacy release a new magic book last month? The author's name is listed as His Holiness the Pope."
The other person hesitated for a moment, but then remembered another rumor he had heard recently, and said, "I've heard that it's to embellish the Holy Son's reputation."
"The Golden Merchant Guild has produced three Rank 9 guild members this year!"
Of the eleven archbishops, only two are at the ninth rank.
The Golden Merchant Guild arrived, stepping over the whispers of passersby. They dismounted leisurely, and Veris raised an eyebrow at the young man at the head of the group. The man smiled, but his arrogance was evident in his eyes.
"May I ask which law Your Excellency Thorne violated that led the executioners to arrest you without explanation?" His words were sharp and pointed from the start.
Although Thorne is not a core figure in the Golden Merchant Guild, his combat strength ranks among the top ten. If he were captured by the High Papacy, it would be very disadvantageous for the Golden Merchant Guild, and they would even feel that they had lost face.
With its current strength, the Golden Merchant Guild might be able to put up a fight against the Grand Papacy, provided that the Pope, who has lived for hundreds of years and whose current state of life or death is unknown, does not show himself.
Compared to the rule of faith, the wealth of the Golden Merchant Guild is second to none on the entire continent of Icarus. Churches are all over the continent, and so are their merchant guilds.
Veris looked at the man and chuckled, "The Execution Division doesn't arrest the innocent. If the Golden Merchant Guild has any brains, they'll leave now, and the High Holy See won't pursue the matter."
The man opposite him frowned; it seemed the Papacy was unwilling to yield to the Golden Merchant Guild.
“Even the Papacy cannot disregard the law and arbitrarily arrest and imprison people. The Golden Merchant Guild will never tolerate such unjust behavior!” he said in a grand and righteous manner.
Veris looked at him with a half-smile: "So that means the Golden Merchant Guild will protect Thorne in a bit."
"The Golden Merchant Guild protects all its followers, even if the opposing side is the Grand Papacy!"
Veris nodded: "That's the attitude of the Golden Merchant Guild. I understand."
Understand what?
Just as he was about to continue speaking, he saw Veris pull out a booklet from somewhere and begin reading it aloud.
"In the new era, 266 years ago, Thorne and his companion Heslit ventured into the Dragon Ridge Secret Realm. In the secret realm, Thorne murdered his companion and stole the dragon scales and horns that should have belonged to Heslit, which he then melted down and made into part of his own weapon."
"In the new era, 282, Thorne illegally traded people. The High Papacy's Execution Division investigated the matter, but the Golden Merchant Guild framed the Minister of Taxation, thus allowing Thorne to escape punishment."
"In the new era, 285 years ago, Thorne intervened in the Royal Capital Academy's trials without authorization and successfully allowed his grandson Isaac to enter the Royal Capital Academy. In this trial, seven people were seriously injured, all of whom were Thorne's doing. These seven poor students who blocked Isaac's path could only miss the opportunity to study at the Royal Capital Academy."
"Three days ago, Thorne's grandson hit and killed an innocent teenager on the road. His family was threatened by Thorne and dared not pursue the matter. They asked the executor for a settlement."
The streets were eerily quiet, save for the echoing, cold voice of Veris.
Finally, he closed the booklet, his eyes cold: "To be punished for multiple crimes, Thorne and his grandson Dracos shall be executed in three days, and their bodies shall be displayed to the world on the execution platform of the High Papacy."
"The Golden Merchant Guild is protecting criminals. Have you all decided who to send out as a scapegoat?"
His voice was slow and deliberate. Without even glancing at Thorne, whose face was pale and whose forehead was beaded with sweat, he added with a smile, "Justice and right, the judgment of the High Papacy may be delayed, but it will never be absent. Wherever the faith of Orlando reaches, the Pope's eyes and ears are everywhere in Icarus. You... cannot escape."
The Golden Merchant Guild envoy's face had lost its initial arrogant expression. His hands, hanging by his sides, clenched tightly. He didn't know if the things mentioned earlier were true, but the illegal human trafficking... the Golden Merchant Guild had indeed protected Thorne.
Those high-sounding words from before felt like a slap across the face, and they hurt terribly.
He forced an ugly smile: "Your Excellency, please deal with Thorne as you see fit."
Veris looked at his awkward smile and raised an eyebrow: "You can argue, maybe I'm lying."
“...No need.” His voice was weak and listless.
He heard the young man chuckle, raise his hand, and the unique shackles of the Execution Department were fastened around Thorne's neck. Dracos was terrified and fell to the ground, filled with regret for ever provoking the young man by the roadside.
Regret is useless now.
Thorne stared intently at Veris, who was turned to the side, and said in a hoarse voice, "How do you know all this?"
Veris tilted his head, looked at Thorne who was pinned to the center of the magic circle, and smiled: "Your Excellency, what has been done cannot be covered up."
"Only he and I have been to the Dragon Ridge Secret Realm; there couldn't be a third person there!"
Thorne looked somewhat out of control, and immediately a puppet covered his mouth, bent down and dragged the two-meter-tall strong man back two steps, standing inside the magic circle.
Golden light flashed, and several puppets carrying the two disappeared into the magic circle.
While most of the attention was focused on Thorne and the puppets, Veris brought his horse, intending to continue out of the city.
The Golden Chamber of Commerce members watched that retreating figure with resentment, while the executive turned around and faced the man who had initially confronted Veris, a strange smile on his face, as if he were gloating: "Mr. Sanleyton, we meet again."
The person who negotiated with the executive officer a few days ago was this very Sanliton.
At this moment, the man's face was extremely ugly. He glared at the executive officer with hatred and said, "The Chamber of Commerce has other matters to attend to. We will take our leave now, Second Prince." He deliberately emphasized the last three words.
The smile on the executive officer's face faded a bit. After becoming the executive officer of the fourth city, almost no one called him the second prince anymore.
The Golden Chamber of Commerce came with great force, and even though they left with their heads held high and chests puffed out, onlookers who watched the whole thing pointed and whispered among themselves, constantly chuckling.
What a disgrace! What a disgrace!
If the Fourth City was in a state of mutual restraint among various powerful forces in the early years, in recent years, those powerful forces have either been absorbed into the Golden Chamber of Commerce or died unexpectedly for various reasons. Now, in the Fourth City, the people of the Golden Chamber of Commerce can practically do whatever they want.
Even the royal court's executives and other officials have to give the Golden Merchant Guild some face.
If the Golden Merchant Guild had been more assertive, this small amount of face would probably have become a ten.
Within the Fourth City, of all the others, only the Cathedral still disregards the Golden Merchant Guild. That's not entirely accurate, though, as the Cathedral and the Golden Merchant Guild don't inherently conflict; in fact, many members of the Golden Merchant Guild adhere to the Orlando Church.
In addition, the Fourth District Cathedral was in charge of the apothecary Riveren. Riveren was tactful and his identity as an apothecary meant that he was not as threatening as any magician or warrior. Although the Golden Merchant Guild did not disregard the cathedral, they did not think much of it either.
Today we suffered a major setback, it was as if the church itself was slapping the Golden Chamber of Commerce in the face.
Who exactly is that young man who claims to be a cardinal?!
Veris, who was being resented, was also puzzled. He thought to himself that he had indeed been away from the capital for too long. Had the Golden Merchant Guild become so arrogant now?
Or do these people really think he's dead?
Wasn't his new magic book only recently released? Why don't these people believe it?
Sure enough, people only want to see what they want to see. Once it doesn't meet their expectations, they will speculate with the utmost malice until the result is exactly the same as their prediction.
As Veris crossed the intersection, he glanced at the scene out of the corner of his eye and stopped in his tracks.
He turned his head and looked at the young man standing in the corner, who was also leading a horse.
Thorne had the typical physique of a warrior, while the young man leading the horse was already about the same size as Thorne. However, judging from his posture and expression, this young man had never been exposed to the profession of warrior.
This location was actually quite far from the center of the incident. The young man looked somewhat bewildered, but when he saw Veris stop and look at him, he took the initiative to speak, "I just caught this runaway horse. Do you know its owner?"
Veris asked with interest, "Didn't you see what just happened?"
Young man: "You mean the side that's fenced off? I can't see or hear clearly. This horse seems to have a bad temper, and I'm afraid it will run away again, so I've been keeping it here."
How did you catch it?
"Just reach out and grab that rope," the young man said, pointing to the reins on the tall horse's back.
Veris smiled, turned around, and gestured for the young man to look over there: "The executive team is over there. Just lead the horses over to them."
The young man followed his gaze, squinted, and seemed to be trying to make sense of something.
Then she looked back at Veris: "Will they give me the money? I've been eyeing it for so long."
"Go ask him for it and see if he'll give it to you. He's not short of money anyway. It's a good thing you caught the horse, otherwise it might have kicked someone to death, and then even a life for a life wouldn't be enough," Veris laughed, seemingly joking.
The young people's eyes lit up when they heard there was money to be made.
He said gratefully to Veris, "You're so kind. My name is Astor. If you need any help, you can call me. Just make sure I'm fed."
Veris glanced up at the sky and said, "I can't control that, I'm short of money too. I should go, goodbye."
The young man looked a little disappointed, but he still happily waved goodbye to Veris.
Veris led his horse forward, and in the blink of an eye, he was out of sight.
Astor was taken aback. Was he seeing things?
Just as they were wondering what was going on, the sound of hooves came from behind them. It was the group from the Golden Merchant Guild who had left in humiliation.
From afar, Sanleyton saw the cardinal and the boy chatting happily, and was certain that the two knew each other. As he got closer, he saw that the horse in the boy's hand was none other than Dracos's beloved horse.
If we can't cause trouble for that cardinal, surely we can deal with this kid who clearly hasn't learned any fighting skills?
Following their superior's signal, the members of the Golden Merchant Guild surrounded Astor. Sanliton wore a forced smile and asked, "Sir, would you be interested in coming with us?"
Astor looked at the people surrounding him, puzzled, but he still honestly said, "I need to find the Executor."
Upon hearing this, Sanleyton was immediately enraged. This kid not only knew that cardinal, but also the executive officer; he must be one of their people!
However, he was still afraid that Veris hadn't gone far, so he planned to stall for time until the executive officer and Veris were both far away before dealing with the kid.
So he put on a fake smile and talked to Astor for a long time, the main point of which was probably that Astor looked extraordinary, and he also rambled on about other things.
Astor's head was throbbing. He had only been in the Fourth City for a few days. He had heard that the salaries there were quite good, and he thought that if he went there to work, he would definitely be able to stop going hungry. As for the executive officer, the Golden Merchant Guild, and the cardinal, he didn't know them at all.
No, he does recognize the church.
So upon hearing a certain word, Astor immediately interrupted Sanlyton, saying happily, "Yes, there are good people in the church."
Sanleyton wasn't annoyed at first, and continued, "You must have known the people in the church for a long time—"
"The church pastor used to treat me to dinner!"
"Then you know—"
"Although the food was provided by the church, it was unlimited! That was the first time I had ever eaten my fill! Do you know how wonderful it feels to be full?"
Sanleyton gritted his teeth and forced a smile: "Of course I know."
Astor raised an eyebrow: "No! You don't understand! How could a richly dressed gentleman like you know what it feels like to be starving for many years and then suddenly have a full stomach!"
Sanleyton: "..."
He was about to continue speaking with Astor when he saw Astor put on an impatient expression and walk in the direction he had come from, where he was blocked by the people from the Golden Merchant Guild.
"Please move aside," he said kindly.
Sanliton felt like he'd been tricked and said angrily, "Kid, come with us to the merchant guild and tell us everything you know, otherwise you'll know how powerful the Golden Merchant Guild is."
Upon hearing this, Astor, who was leading a tall horse, stopped in his tracks.
He frowned, looked at Sanleyton, then turned and looked around. Sure enough, he found himself surrounded. Outside the encirclement, some passersby watched from afar, not daring to approach. These people blocked half of the street, and those who passed by hurriedly left, having to walk close to the shops.
He had disturbed everyone! Astor's eyes widened in fear. He had been taught since childhood not to bother others when he was out, as that was something only bad people did.
The young man clenched his fist, frowning as he looked at the people from the Golden Merchant Guild. "What is the Golden Merchant Guild? Get out of the way, don't get in their way!"
Sanleyton retorted angrily, "Where did this country bumpkin come from!"
Astor: "I'm from the countryside! What do you want!"
He could no longer hold back his words. How could he possibly win a verbal contest with this wealthy gentleman? He should just make way and avoid causing trouble for others.
As for those people surrounding him...
The young man's face darkened, he took a half step back, aimed at the obstacle in his direction, and before anyone could react, he dashed off like an arrow.
His body was facing forward, with his head at the very front. In the past, he often used this method to compete with the village's cattle in strength, and he would win if he could push the cattle away with his hands.
But since he's dealing with a human being, to be fair, he'll use his brain instead.
The brain is very fragile; you must always protect it. This was the advice given to him by the kind pastor of the church.
Astor decided to use his vulnerability to fight against those who were blocking his way.
He bumped into someone, making them stumble and creating a gap, then pulled his horse to find the magistrate to claim his reward! He had to hurry, or these strange men would catch up with him again.
Astor's plan was perfect.
However, the very first step of the plan ran into a major problem.
The young man suddenly rammed forward, thinking that the other person would only be pushed back a little.
He underestimated his own strength, and by a great deal of it.
A group of people stood at the street corner. There were many passersby, and those who had just finished watching the excitement couldn't wait to continue to watch from the sidelines.
At that moment, they watched in shock as the golden merchant guild guard, who had been knocked away by the tall man, flew straight into the sky and then plummeted. Because he was going in the wrong direction, the guard screamed in pain, and it appeared that he had flown from one end of the street to the other.
Is this even human?!
He headbutted the Golden Merchant Guild's guards so far away!
It hovered in the sky for quite a while!
Astor exclaimed in surprise: "Is this person so thin?!"
He hit it like he was a dog, it felt like he had no weight at all.
"Boy! You dare to hurt someone from the Golden Merchant Guild! You're finished!" Sanleyton roared at Astor, both shocked and terrified.
Astor also realized he was doomed. He had knocked the person so far away that his intestines were probably flying out, which would land him in jail.
The young man from the countryside was so frightened that he didn't realize how loudly Sanleyton was shouting, yet he dared not approach him.
The rough feel of the reins in his hand, the horse shaking its head in agitation, the reins swinging across his palm—Aster reacted, looked around, and seeing there was still room on the road, he didn't care about anything else, mounted the horse, slapped its back, and the horse cried out in pain before galloping off in a certain direction.
Forget about receiving the reward, he was terrified of being arrested and imprisoned. Aster looked pained.
Sanleyton was still yelling from behind, "You just wait!"
Astor was a skilled horseman with an excellent sense of direction. He traversed the streets and alleys, not only shaking off the Golden Merchant Guild's pursuers but also successfully exiting the city gates.
This vast fourth city really doesn't welcome him.
In the freezing cold, he hadn't even eaten his fill. He'd gotten into trouble, and now he might not be able to stay in the Fourth City. Where would he go to make a living and keep himself from starving?
Thinking of this, a cold wind blew fiercely, and Astor was overcome with grief. Instead of sighing, he began to sob on his horse.
His stomach started growling as soon as he started crying.
So she cried even harder.
Leaving the city gate didn't mean there was no one left. People on the road who were planning to enter the fourth city gasped when they saw a tall young man sitting on a luxurious horse, raising his fist and wiping away his tears while sobbing.
If this scene were of a beautiful girl, it would evoke sympathy.
But if it were a muscular man nearly two meters tall, the image would be truly unpalatable.
Astor was even more heartbroken by the condemning looks he received for no reason. He felt that the whole world disliked him and that he might as well stay in his village and keep company with the calves. If he didn't have enough to eat, so be it!
As I thought about it, tears kept flowing. A cold wind blew, and the tears almost froze and rolled down my face.
Suddenly, a handkerchief appeared in my field of vision, offered by a pale hand.
Astor was startled and turned his head blankly to look at the person riding alongside him on horseback. Who else could it be but Veris?
He grabbed a handkerchief and wiped his face haphazardly, choking back tears as he said, "Sir, you really are a very good person."
Veris: "No, I was listening from the front and thought there was a monster horde coming from behind, with such a terrible howl, so I turned around to take a look."
"Waaaaah, my voice is as awful as Warcraft's."
Veris looked up at the sky, hesitated for a long time, wavering between the truth and deception. However, the tall young man beside him began to sob again, and Veris thought that this man's crying was even worse than that of the fat man.
So he finally closed his eyes and said against his will, "How could that be? The sounds of monsters are much worse than yours."
Stop crying, child. Your wailing has filled the whole street.
He thought the undead had invaded the Fourth City.
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Author's Note: The little skit will be added in the next chapter.
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