Chapter 1490
The Fate of the Abandoned
Chapter 1490 The Fate of the Abandoned
Hermann had assumed this would be another routine transaction.
They left at midnight and returned at dawn.
But I never imagined that I would lose my life here.
He had all his teeth knocked out after he couldn't get any useful information out of him.
Bloody saliva dripped from the gaps in his mouth, and his swollen eyelids drooped listlessly.
He knew he wasn't going to survive.
When he was suddenly pulled up, in the blurry light and shadow, he could only see a pair of bright yellow eyes.
The Burning Beast... who could have imagined it...?
If only I had known... if only I had known...
Do they want him to be the scapegoat?
Ha...then let's all go to hell together!
Qian Sui had no interest in the bloodied, mangled face and lay back down.
“While he’s not exactly a good person,” Antonioni said, raising an eyebrow, “being sent here in this state… there’s practically nowhere to hit him. Are you sure it wasn’t intentional?”
Regardless of what kind of person Herman actually was, he certainly didn't cause any real harm to Lin Fan and his companions. Or rather, he didn't have a chance to cause any harm.
So Antonio's hatred for him was simply met with a beating, and that was it. It couldn't compare to the brutality of Valerius and his ilk.
Moreover, the person has been beaten so badly that he's lying on the ground like a lump of mud, unable to stand up. What else can be done about him?
We can't just kill him, can we?
Based on their brief contact so far, they are far from reaching that point.
"Oh, I see." Antonio suddenly had a flash of inspiration and clapped his hands. "You deliberately made him look like this to gain our sympathy. If we see him in such a miserable state, anyone with a bit of compassion won't pursue the matter. Is that what you were planning?"
“No, no…” Valerius quickly denied.
Lin Fan wasn't sure if Valéry's move was to use Hermann as a pawn or to establish Adrian's authority, but she didn't want to be that scapegoat.
“You can handle your own personnel matters,” she said. “We’re just here in Annema for tourism, to travel around and see the sights. Our coming and going has little to do with you, so there’s no need to involve irrelevant people.”
She always said that, but no one ever believed her.
Vallejo didn't believe it either.
He knew that the Burning Beast was powerful.
But whether it was because Qian Sui's appearance was too weak, giving him the wrong impression, or because it had never been proactive in front of Lin Fan and the other person, acting more like a pet...
In short, Valerius believed that Chitose and those two unfortunate humans were brought to Annemo without their knowledge or awareness.
The reason it stands by and watches things unfold is simply because it feels that things are under its control, so it doesn't care.
Humans have always been concerned about saving face.
Lin Fan's denial did not change Valerius's mind in the slightest; on the contrary, it strengthened his resolve to settle the matter.
"Yes, yes, I misunderstood," Valerius laughed. "I must thank you all. If it weren't for you, I wouldn't have discovered that Annemo had such a malignant tumor."
"Lord Burning Beast is indeed merciful, but now that we have discovered someone who has damaged the reputation of our Annie Demons, we absolutely cannot let them go so easily..."
Antonio was about to say, "You didn't let me off easily either; you hit me pretty hard."
Vallejo slightly turned his head. Imperio, receiving the signal, twisted his hands together and snapped Hermann's neck with a "crack".
Adrian's already somber expression immediately darkened. He didn't miss the defiant glance that Valerius gave him as he looked away.
Lin Fan never expected that he would kill someone so easily.
Hermann deserved to die, but the ability to kill and act as if nothing had happened made Vallejou, who could talk so eloquently, far more terrifying.
Antonio jumped up, looked over the table to check on Hermann, and shook his head at Lin Fan with a serious expression.
Vallejo attempted to use these methods to test Lin Fan and Antonio's weaknesses.
But he eventually discovered that these two humans were more courageous than he had imagined.
A frail female, seeing a person die so close to her, didn't even flinch. The other, brainless male, however, did move, actually reaching out to touch the corpse.
This is not a good sign.
Either they're used to seeing dead people, or they're just incredibly dense and lack common sense.
Neither outcome is good news for Valerius. But thinking about it, it makes sense. If a human who can keep company with a World-Burning Beast is truly ordinary, then they are far too lucky…
Valle's mind raced, and in the time that followed, he kept testing Chisui, Lin Fan, and Antonio with his words.
However, Hermann's death seemed to have placed an invisible seal on things. Even Antonio, who was usually lively and always looking for trouble, became unusually quiet.
No one paid any attention to Vallejo. There was neither agreement nor rebuttal.
Valéry, having performed a one-man show for so long, grew annoyed. But still pinning his hopes on the millennium-old emperor, he wasn't ready to break ties for the time being. He simply suppressed his temper and bid farewell with a smile.
Impelli also left, taking Hermann's body with him.
Silence returned to the hall. No one spoke.
On the carpet in front of the sofa, only a half-dried bloodstain tells the story of what had happened.
Vallejo maintained his composure until he left the Finch family's courtyard and entered his own carriage.
His expression was sinister and restrained as he glanced intently through the window at the direction of the Finch family's hall.
“My lord,” Imperius noticed Vallejo’s lingering presence, tossed the body to the others, and approached to ask, “Should we take the gift back?”
“Not for now.” Valerius sighed and looked away. “Let’s leave it for now. I doubt anyone else would dare to steal from the Finch family. It’s good to have that little thief from the Finch family keep an eye on things for us. If it’s not enough, well, even better.”
“Yes.” Impelio lowered his head.
"Come in!" Valerius beckoned to him. "Tell me everything that happened after you arrived last night, one by one, including the reactions and actions of those two men."
Impelli was taken aback. He hadn't actually paid much attention to those two... but he had a way of getting away with it.
Along the way, Valéry's expression shifted with the changing light and shadow.
“Adrian…once the Burning Beast matter is over, let the Finch family change its head.”
"Yes," Impelio replied, bowing his head.
As soon as I opened the door and stepped onto the ground, the butler came to report.
"My lord, something has happened at the temple."
Valerius frowned: "What could possibly happen at the temple?"
The only thing worth remembering, the Burning Beast and its corpse, are at Finch's house. What's the use of leaving those broken crystals?
He even planned to demolish that dilapidated temple and build a brand new one for the new Beast God, as long as the Thousand-Year-Old Emperor agreed.
The butler leaned over and whispered a few words in his ear. Valerius's expression immediately changed, and he turned around and got back into the carriage.
"To the temple! Quickly!"
After confirming that Valerius had gone far away and would not return, Lin Fan released his divine sense, spreading it throughout the entire Annie Demon Underground.
Adrian wasn't in the mood to deal with them.
His current situation is clearly precarious; Valerius is currently too busy to deal with him. But judging from Lin Fan and Qian Sui's attitudes, he obviously doesn't have much time left.
He stared at the oxidized, blackened bloodstains on the ground, and a plan gradually formed in his mind.
The butler waited a long time but didn't hear any greeting from the hall. He cautiously peeked to the door, just in time to be seen by Adrian.
"What are you doing hiding there so furtively?" he asked, somewhat annoyed.
How could Valerius's dog be so vicious as to be perfectly justified, while his steward acted like a thief even in his own home?
The butler jumped in as if granted a pardon, but seeing Adrian's expression, he couldn't help but shrink back.
"Speak your mind!" If Adrian didn't want to cause any more trouble, he would have liked to replace the butler.
"Master, the funeral arrangements for the late Master really need to be arranged as soon as possible; they can't be delayed any longer..."
"I'm not in a hurry, why are you?" Adrian was no longer in the mood to care about that old man, since he was already dead anyway.
"We have to hurry..." The butler was almost in tears, "The old master is already... he's already starting to stink..."
Adrian turned around. The coffin, which he had deliberately left open, did indeed emit a faint smell of decay.
“…You’re just making things worse.” Turning back to look at the pile of gifts in the yard, Adrian gritted his teeth and gave the butler a fierce order.
"Go! Proceed to the funeral!!"