svetikya Page 173
Page 173
A feeling of suffocation washed over him, and his face immediately turned bright red.
He struggled desperately with both hands, but Lin Chuan's hands were like iron clamps, firmly gripping his throat, and he could easily break it with just a little more force.
"Now I'll ask you a question, and you'll answer it. If you dare to lie to me, I'll make you experience what it means to wish you were dead!"
Lin Chuan stared coldly at the agility-type Soul Master in front of him, his gaze seemingly piercing through his soul.
Just as the other person was about to suffocate, Lin Chuan suddenly let go of his hand.
"Oh!"
The agility-type Soul Master fell to the ground, clutching his throat and coughing incessantly, a hint of lingering fear flashing in his eyes.
"Tell me about your origins."
"I..." The agility-type Soul Master subconsciously wanted to lie, but under Lin Chuan's gaze, he couldn't lie, as if something terrifying was waiting for him.
"Replying to senior, I am a subordinate of Earl Oran of the Star Luo Empire."
Sensing no sign of lying, Lin Chuan continued, "What are you doing here?"
"Investigate...the wolf bandits."
"So you knew about the wolf bandit attack all along?" Lin Chuan's expression immediately turned hostile.
The other party swallowed hard, wanting to deny it but not daring to lie, so they could only grit their teeth and give up.
"Yes, this gang of wolf bandits has attacked more than one place. I am here on the Earl's orders to investigate their movements and send the information back so that we can prepare a response in advance."
"Since you know about the wolf bandits, why don't you send someone to deal with them?" Lin Chuan asked again.
"This one……"
Seeing the other party's evasive gaze, Lin Chuan felt an immense pressure surge from him.
“I’ll tell you,” with a knife almost to his throat, the agility-type Soul Master in front of him dared not hide anything, “Wolf bandits are incredibly strong and can even manipulate the power of wind to a certain extent. Five hundred wolf bandits can defeat a regular army of ten thousand, and once attacked, they will fight to the death.”
"There are over a thousand wolf bandits in front of us. The Earl is worried that sending troops to surround and suppress them will allow them to take advantage of the situation, and he is also afraid of being retaliated against if he provokes them. So he sent me out to see if I would threaten his location."
Upon hearing this, everyone's expression changed.
"What a joke!" Zhu Zhuqing stepped forward abruptly, her expression icy. "These are all citizens of the Empire, who pay taxes to the Empire every year. That damned count actually abandoned his people in his territory because he was worried about his own safety, even though he knew that wolf bandits were rampaging. He's a complete bastard!"
"Why didn't you ask for help?" Lin Chuan asked again, suppressing his anger.
“Count Oran said he didn’t want other nobles to know that he had been harassed by a gang of wolf bandits, as that would make him a laughingstock among the nobles, so…”
Lin Chuan didn't want to listen anymore, so he spewed flames from his mouth, burning the agility-type soul master in front of him to ashes.
Dugu Yan slowly stood up, her tone filled with resentment, "A bunch of selfish nobles, it's one thing to be afraid of death, but to disregard ordinary people for the sake of laughable noble dignity, this world shouldn't be like this!"
"Yes, the world shouldn't be like this..."
Lin Chuan echoed with a puzzled expression.
Chapter 165 Fall
Star Luo Empire, Earl Oran's territory.
The vast manor was magnificent and resplendent, with carved railings and jade steps, shining brightly even in the dark of night.
"Has Weber not returned yet?"
Inside the manor, a fat man dressed in fine clothes suddenly spoke, his hands constantly rubbing the jade thumb ring on his thumb, his brows furrowed with unspeakable tension.
"Reporting to Lord Oran, there is still no news of Lord Weber."
"What a useless piece of trash. Could he already be dead at the hands of those wolf bandits?"
Count Oran snorted coldly, his face turning ashen.
Seeing his Count's furious expression, the elderly butler dared not utter a word, for fear of saying something that might offend him.
"Pass down the order: temporarily prohibit everyone from entering or leaving the city. The army will patrol the city day and night. Even if wolf bandits appear, we must not let them break in!"
"As you command, sir."
The butler quickly agreed, though he hesitated slightly.
After a moment, he tentatively asked, "Master, this can't go on forever. Why don't we try to ask other nobles nearby for help, or offer a bounty to ask a Soul Master or the Spirit Hall to help?"
Are you trying to make me a laughingstock?
Count Oran was immediately furious.
"My lord, please calm down. That's not what I meant. It's just that allowing the bandits to run rampant will also affect you, since those people are all your property..."
"Hmph, a bunch of lowly commoners, not worth my time. I hope these wolf bandits leave my territory. What a bunch of damned beasts!"
However, all he could do was hurl insults.
As a hereditary earl, Oran had lived a life of luxury since childhood. He was not particularly talented, and his army numbered only a few thousand. He was no match for these half-human, half-wolf beasts.
Letting him laze around and wait to die is fine, but asking him to fight against a group of monsters is really asking too much of him.
"Alright, if Webber comes back later, tell him to come see me tomorrow morning!"
"Yes!"
Earl Oran waved his hand gently and returned to his bedroom with his large pregnant belly.
He just met two young and beautiful women today, so he doesn't have time to stay up all night waiting. He should enjoy life to the fullest.
"My beauty, this Earl has arrived!"
Count Oran rubbed his hands together, his smile particularly lewd.
He pushed open the door forcefully, but the beautiful woman he had imagined did not appear. Instead, a strong, muscular figure came into view, which instantly froze the smile on his face.
"Who are you? Guards, there are..."
Before he could finish speaking, the figure in front of him suddenly disappeared.
A sudden pain shot through his throat. Count Oran's eyes widened, and he clutched his throat, whimpering as blood flowed uncontrollably.
He slowly lowered his head and saw that the stick he usually used to torture women was stuck in his throat.
Unable to utter a single word, Count Oran collapsed heavily to the ground, his filthy blood flowing out and completely staining the priceless carpet.
The shadowy figure slightly opened its mouth, and a wisp of fire shot out, landing on the wall and completely igniting the room.
After doing all this, the figure disappeared again.
"Go away!"
Soon, the servants of the Earl's manor discovered the situation, and the entire manor descended into chaos. By the time they extinguished the fire, it was too late.
The death of Count Oran undoubtedly caused a huge uproar.
However, the murderer appeared and disappeared without a trace, and no one in the manor noticed anything. In the end, the matter could only be left unresolved.
……
In a small town.
The pain inflicted by the wolf bandits cannot be erased, but the dead are gone, and the survivors must go on with their lives.
After inquiring, the vast majority of people were unwilling to leave their hometowns. Only the tavern girl and a few other women were willing to follow Lin Chuan and his group to live in the Heavenly Dou Empire.
Their loved ones all died in this attack, so they have no more attachments!
"Xiao Chuan, did you leave to go find that count?"
At the head of the procession, Dugu Yan rode forward and asked.
Lin Chuan didn't hide anything and slowly nodded, "I killed that fatso, which was a way of venting my anger, but it didn't really do much good."
Most nobles are the same; they rarely treat ordinary people as human beings.
Even if an earl dies, the successor may still be the same. If this problem cannot be solved at its root, killing more nobles will be useless.
"Xiaochuan, this world is really terrible!"
After a long silence, Dugu Yan suddenly uttered these words.
Lin Chuan's eyes flickered slightly, and his voice was unusually deep, "Then let's try to change this world. I can't guarantee what will happen elsewhere, but in my territory, this kind of thing will absolutely not happen!"
"I believe you!"
Dugu Yan turned her head and looked at her, her eyes full of trust.
At this moment, Lin Chuan's mindset had also quietly changed.
A territory is not just for self-strengthening; it is also a responsibility. From the moment your territory's inhabitants start paying taxes to you, you must also ensure their well-being.
There was no other reason than to have a clear conscience.
"Let's hurry on our way and try to get back to Snowfield City as soon as possible."
……
at the same time.