Chapter 43: Freedom
As night gradually approached, a foul and chaotic aura rose from the dark corners of the Free City.
It felt as if it had awakened from a slumber.
Countless shadowy ghostly figures appeared on the streets, hurrying about, searching for potential prey.
At 5:32, the moment when day and night draw the line, the vast plains of the manor district stood silently with ancient buildings.
The long night was approaching, a time when the urban legends that should have been dormant here began to stir, but today, they were particularly well-behaved, with no sneaky lurking, no creepy murmurs, not even leaving their dark corners.
All of this was due to the furious legendary demon hunter Constantin and several luxurious cars belonging to the mafia parked outside the gates of his mansion.
“The New Elders’ Council, again the New Elders’ Council… Who do they think they are?”
Earlier, members of the mafia had fished out the remains of the Killer Whale from the bay and brought it before Constantin. Looking at the fragments that couldn’t even piece together a whole deck, this man, once able to command respect in the Free City, was thoroughly enraged.
Hearing his furious roars, several gang leaders respectfully standing before him lowered their heads, their gazes unconsciously drifting to the small square table beside him, where two heavily designed alchemical guns lay.
The shapes of the guns resembled classic Colt Anaconda revolvers, but with a caliber comparable to an anti-tank rifle, it was clear they were much heavier than the Colt Anacondas.
Every part of the guns appeared to be cast as perfectly as works of art, gleaming with a metallic sheen. One was entirely black, intricately engraved with complex skeletal patterns, while the other was a deep red, adorned with white doves.
“Omens” and “Fate”…
These two revolvers had been by Constantin’s side ever since he first appeared as a demon hunter, with countless souls lost to their muzzles.
This even included Jack the Ripper, who had resurfaced in the M Country Metropolitan City…
Moreover, over a decade ago, mysterious spiritual ability users from the Siye Society helped to modify the guns, enhancing their power and the degree of synergy with Constantin’s spirit patterns.
It was said that as long as the spirit energy supply was sufficient, even without ammunition, “Omens” and “Fate” could fire without limitation, with a power exceeding forbidden spell formulas by multiple times.
This group of individuals with varying levels of spirit energy fluctuation would hardly survive a second shot, and given Constantin’s temperament, if he truly lost his temper, it wouldn’t be impossible for them to be the ones offering sacrifices for his wrath.
“Killing is one thing, but daring to sink the Killer Whale?” Constantin continued to bellow, “It seems I’ve been absent for too long, allowing some to forget who truly calls the shots in the Free City!”
He had long anticipated that “Yu Yinchuan” would be attacked on the way from the Free City, indifferent to the fate of everyone on board…
The Killer Whale could be considered the best alchemical vessel he had, and if the attackers were merely a nameless assassin group mentioned in the intel, then even if they slaughtered everyone on the ship and the urban legends aboard, they wouldn’t think of damaging a scrape of paint on the vessel.
But what surprised him was that the one attacking “Yu Yinchuan” was Charybdis, the Sixth Seat of the New Elders’ Council, and he never expected Charybdis would sink the Killer Whale.
“Even if that guy, the President, came, he wouldn’t dare to go so far! Are they trying to start a war?”
Though the New Elders’ Council had been secretly encroaching on the mafia’s “business” since they emerged, having conflicts with the mafia, they always acted discreetly, leaving no handle for retaliation…
However, this time was different; this time was a blatant and audacious provocation!
As soon as the words fell, Constantin’s dark expression swept over the “children” before him who dared not even breathe. His gaze ultimately landed on the sunglasses of a young man on the periphery.
On the arms of those sunglasses was a small emblem composed of a triangular pattern and an eye, the logo of Ariel Corporation.
His aged, murky eyes narrowed slightly, and Constantin suddenly stood up.
In the next moment, when everyone regained their senses, he was already in front of the young man, the dark barrel of “Omens” pressed against the young man’s forehead.
“Kid, who are you with? Didn’t anyone tell you that anything bearing the Ariel Corporation logo is not allowed in this manor?”
His deep, hoarse voice sounded in the ears like a d*ath knell, and the young man’s face instantly turned pale, his legs trembling.
The atmosphere plummeted to freezing point, and no one, including the mafia leader who had brought the young man to the manor, dared to step forward to persuade.
After all, the young man had truly done something wrong; he had violated the mafia’s rules!
Items bearing the Ariel Eye logo were intricately linked to Ariel, the Fourth Seat of the New Elders’ Council. Through those logos, Ariel was almost constantly monitoring every corner of the Free City, greatly impacting the mafia’s operations…
All this was something that everyone here had tacitly understood.
Bringing items with such a logo into this manor was akin to bringing a mobile phone into an examination room for a college entrance exam; even if you had no intention of cheating, you would still be disqualified from the exam.
Breaking the rules meant d*ath; anyone who tried to persuade would be the one who suffered!
If things went badly, the spell bullets erupting from “Omens” might strike the young man before he even knew it, leaving his head blooming…
Although the mafia had donned a layer of romance and chivalry through media portrayals over the years, they were essentially cold-blooded and cruel.
However, just when everyone thought that the now petrified young man would become a floating corpse in the South Street Canal by tomorrow morning, a sudden roar of an engine from outside the manor broke the stifling atmosphere.
Everyone turned to look, and through the dense vegetation surrounding the manor, a luxury car was faintly visible, parked outside the gates.
It was a snow-white, extended Rolls-Royce, except for its golden door handles, which looked completely out of place next to the mafia’s uniformly black vehicles.
“Bang—!”
The sound of the car door slamming shut echoed.
After a leisurely set of footsteps approached, a man nearly 1.9 meters tall, with a slender and well-proportioned figure, walked along the path in front of the gates into view.
He had shoulder-length golden curly hair and sapphire-blue eyes, his handsome features reminiscent of a character from a classical opera, dressed in a pure white English suit, with a black shirt underneath and a houndstooth patterned long trench coat draped over his shoulders like a cape.
After pausing in front of the crowd and surveying them, his gaze fell on Constantin, who was holding “Omens,” a warm smile gracing his lips. “Oh? You must be Mr. Constantin, right?”
“I have heard of your reputation for a long time; it is truly an honor to see you in person today.”
After sizing up the unexpected visitor, Constantin, without uttering a word, turned his g*n barrel, aiming it at the man’s chest.
Seeing the muzzle of “Omens” shifting away from his forehead, the already terrified young man suddenly felt his legs give way and collapsed to the ground, sweating profusely.
“Whoa, whoa, whoa!” The suddenly appearing man raised both hands, exclaiming in surprise, “Don’t be impulsive, please don’t be impulsive, Mr. Constantin! I mean no harm; on the contrary, I actually came to apologize.”
“Apologize?” Constantin frowned, “Apologize for what? Do we know each other?”
“Oh, sorry, I forgot to introduce myself.” The man smiled, seemingly unconcerned by the fearsome spiritual weapon in Constantin’s hand. “My name is Epimetheus; you can also call me ‘Freedom’!”
Upon hearing this, everyone present, including Constantin, changed their expressions simultaneously.
Epimetheus, the First Seat of the New Elders’ Council, had actually appeared here alone?
Was he not afraid of d*ath?
Such behavior was akin to attempting to play chess with a lone piece remaining against an opponent with a full set of pieces.
“I come on behalf of the Solar Eclipse Society and the New Elders’ Council to apologize for the accidental sinking of the Killer Whale, and I assure you that as long as we can gain your forgiveness, Mr. Constantin… we are willing to offer any compensation.”
“Our New Elders’ Council does not wish to have any conflict with you. Charybdis did not intend to sink the Killer Whale or harm your guests aboard; our target is another, specifically your dispatched Jessie Woolley, who is a traitor on our side…”
“I believe you detest traitors as well?”
“Enough!” Constantin interrupted in a deep voice while lowering “Omens” from his aim. “What exactly do you want? Just say it; if you’re trying any tricks, you won’t leave here in one piece!”
He had seen too many similar scenarios and didn’t believe Epimetheus’s fabrications; he did not trust the New Elders’ Council would coexist harmoniously with the mafia.
To him, Epimetheus’s appearance here to apologize for sinking the Killer Whale and offering compensation certainly had ulterior motives.
“Wonderful!” Epimetheus exclaimed with appreciation. “You truly live up to your reputation, Mr. Constantin; I enjoy conversing with someone like you.”
“Actually, I have another purpose for being here… Your guest aboard the Killer Whale seems to be named Yu Yinchuan, right?”
“I want to ask you for a small favor: help him forget the task assigned by the Siye Society and let him enjoy himself in the Free City without continuing the investigation, and when the time comes, return to where he should go.”
“This would be good for everyone, wouldn’t you agree?”
Constantin, “……”
