Chapter 81

Chapter 81 Encounter

Upper City of Igewent, North Bank of the Iron Mud River.

At noon, a carriage was slowly making its way along the riverside street. Zombie Puppet Brandon was sitting inside the carriage, being escorted by a member of the Holy Communion to their base, while in the distance, Dorothy’s carriage was following closely behind.

Seated in her carriage, Dorothy manipulated her zombie puppet while observing the surroundings. She noticed that the roads were tidy, the trees lush, and on either side, there were elegant standalone houses with small gardens. The gates of each home were iron gates leading to their front yard gardens, and the occasional passerby was dressed stylishly and appropriately.

‘This is the White Galaxy Riverside District; it seems that Buck has some status here.’

Looking out the window, Dorothy thought to herself. The White Galaxy Riverside District is the affluent area of Igewent. As the Iron Mud River flows through the city, it becomes increasingly polluted with industrial and domestic waste as it progresses, leading to murky waters and foul odors. Therefore, only the upper reaches of the riverbank within the city are livable, and the White Galaxy Riverside District is the best section, attracting many affluent residents from the city.

In this area, the residents would have relatively solid financial backgrounds in Igewent, and Buck would be no exception. At this moment, Dorothy was already cracking her knuckles, eager to engage in anti-cult activities.

Her target was to raid Buck’s residence before the An Yin Bureau could act!

Thus, under Dorothy’s watchful tracking, Brandon’s carriage finally arrived at its destination: a magnificent three-story mansion built by the riverside.

‘Wow… this guy’s house is really big, probably three times larger than Burton’s place. That shabby bookstore on White Pearl Street can’t even compare. It seems Buck holds the highest status among the current leaders of the Holy Communion.’

As she viewed Buck’s mansion through Brandon’s eyes, Dorothy couldn’t help but feel a little astonished. Soon, Brandon’s carriage passed through an iron gate into Buck’s yard and ultimately stopped in front of the grand entrance.

Seeing this, Zombie Puppet Brandon picked up his suitcase and got out of the carriage. Under the guidance of the doorman, he entered the exquisitely decorated foyer.

“According to Mr. Buck’s orders, if Mr. Brandon has arrived, please wait for him in the study. He will return once he is done dealing with some nuisances. I will show you the way.” At that moment, a butler-like man appeared before Brandon, who nodded in response.

“Then I’ll trouble you.”

Following the butler, Brandon ascended the stairs toward the upper floor. During this time, Dorothy controlled Brandon to discreetly observe his surroundings.

‘There doesn’t seem to be much security left. Including the coachman, it looks like there are only three or four people. It seems most of the goons have been sent to ambush the flooded wharf… which actually works out nicely for me.’

As she pondered, Dorothy noticed a room filled with large porcelain vases and a glass display cabinet showcasing many handicrafts.

‘So much porcelain and glass… Is this a collection room? It seems this guy has a collecting hobby. But it’s too much trouble to move all these big vases. I wonder how much they’d be worth if I sold them all?’

While calculating how to help Buck liquidate his assets, Dorothy manipulated Brandon to follow the butler. The butler, noticing Brandon’s gaze linger on the glass and porcelain room, spoke up.

“This is Mr. Buck’s collection room.”

“I see. Everything is beautiful…”

Brandon nodded, and shortly after, the butler led Zombie Puppet Brandon into a spacious study, then continued speaking.

“Please wait here, Mr. Brandon. The master should be back shortly; I’ll go down to prepare the Holy Communion for the gathering.”

“Sure, thank you for your efforts.”

Brandon replied, and as the butler turned to leave the room, Brandon suddenly darkened his expression, took two steps forward, covered the butler’s mouth, and pulled out a small kn*fe, slicing his throat.

The butler, muffled from having his mouth covered, emitted two startled sounds before gradually losing his breath. Following the intervention of the “Cup” spirit, his wounds stopped bleeding, his expression became vacant, and he completed the transformation into a zombie puppet.

‘One down, there should be still two or three left. Once I take care of them all, I can confidently begin my plunder.’

Just a short distance away on the street outside Buck’s mansion, Dorothy thought this as she prepared to control the two zombie puppets to wipe out the entire base from within. Suddenly, an unexpected voice reached her ears through the listening abilities of the zombie puppets.

“Mr. Buck has returned!”

The servant’s voice came from downstairs, and upon hearing it, Dorothy couldn’t help but be taken aback.

‘Returned? So soon? No… shouldn’t these guys have been ambushed by the Hunters? Didn’t they d*e at the flooded wharf yet?!’

Dorothy thought in disbelief, but her manipulation did not falter. She maneuvered the butler to pull up his cravat to cover the injury on his neck, having Brandon sit in the study, directing the butler to exit. It wasn’t long before she saw Colif, covered in bl**d, and Buck, caked in dirt, coming up the stairs.

“Phew… finally back, but everyone else must be gone, right? d*mn! Which b*stard leaked the information? Since when has the An Yin Bureau placed moles among us… uh…”

Leaning on a cane, Colif complained while grimacing in pain. His body was smeared with bl**d, having sustained significant injuries from Turner’s shrapnel shotgun up close. Although his iron armor blocked a large portion of the damage, countless small iron pieces had embedded themselves within him, making movement difficult due to the severe pain.

“d*mn… I need to find a place to pull those things out.”

“Perhaps there isn’t a mole from the An Yin Bureau. If the An Yin Bureau really did have a mole among us, we would have been ambushed as soon as we returned. The base still being intact suggests that the An Yin Bureau wasn’t aware of it before their action; perhaps that mysterious organization tipped them off…”

Walking beside Colif, Buck stated, appearing relatively unharmed compared to Colif, his expression serious and his steps steady.

“However, it is still not very safe here. The situation has been very strange lately. We need to pack up the important things and temporarily evacuate Igewent. We can discuss things later.”

Buck added, and at that moment, the butler walked past him and respectfully spoke.

“Mr. Buck…”

“You smell quite bloody?” Looking at the familiar butler before him, Buck spoke, and the butler answered directly.

“Ah, yes, Mr. Brandon was injured during the escape, and I was just helping him with his wounds. He is currently waiting for you in the study.”

Hearing the butler’s words, Buck nodded, then instructed.

“Okay, immediately go down and instruct the remaining household members to prepare all the carriages for evacuation. I’ll be down in ten minutes.”

“Understood…”

The butler replied and then turned to leave. Buck and Colif pushed open the study’s large door to find Brandon resting in a chair, his right hand bandaged.

“Mr. Buck.”