Chapter 020: Silence

In the darkness of the night, Viscount Evan’s expression was extremely strange—filled with cruelty and malice. Even Gabriel, the arrogant man, shuddered at the sight. He suddenly realized he could no longer stay seated on the sofa and quickly stood up, bowing and saying, “My lord is wise.”

At this moment, his face was filled with respect—none trace left of his earlier haughty demeanor. After a pause, Viscount Evan’s expression gradually returned to normal. He glanced at Gabriel and suddenly smiled, saying, “I’ve said so much just now, but I had no other intention—only to explain things to you. This is City of Rui, so naturally, it’s up to you, Lord Gabriel, to make decisions. You don’t need me to tell you what to do next, do you?”

“Yes,” Gabriel nodded, hesitating for a moment. “My lord…”

Viscount Evan looked at him and smiled again. “Enough, Gabriel. There are only the two of us here, and our relationship has lasted for days now. Ask whatever you want directly—why be polite?”

Gabriel thought to himself, If I ask everything, will you really tell me everything, you bastard? But even if given a hundred times the courage, he wouldn’t dare say such things. After hesitating for a while, he said, “What if Oscar doesn’t reveal what’s happening here, and Young Master Du Fan pretends to be foolish and acts like he knows nothing? What should we do then? Tell them ourselves? If so, wouldn’t that clearly signal to Old Green, that fox, that we’re trying to split the north?”

“We’ll see about that later,” Viscount Evan said slowly, shaking his head. “I trust Oscar. He’ll eventually slip up. If that doesn’t work, send another few hundred thousand gold coins to them tomorrow. Bards like them know how to read the situation. With that much gold, he’ll naturally know what to do. But then… in the future, we’ll have to send someone to… deal with him…”

As he spoke, Viscount Evan made a gesture as if strangling someone.

Baron Gabriel suddenly understood. “I see. I get it now!”

“Wait,” Viscount Evan hesitated again. “If Oscar refuses to do it, we’ll send someone to spread the news. But by then… City of Rui… I hope the gods will protect you, City of Rui…”

At the end, a hint of murderous intent flashed across Viscount Evan’s face, his eyes showing determination.

Gabriel couldn’t help but shudder. He naturally understood Evan’s final meaning—if anything really went wrong, City of Rui Gen might become history. But as a member of the great Northern faction, he knew well the immense power within it, so despite his fear, he didn’t dare harbor even the slightest thought of rebellion.

As the two were talking, suddenly, hurried footsteps were heard, followed by creaking noises from the stairs. Moments later, a figure rushed up and collapsed to the ground with a thud.

“Damn it!” Gabriel was stunned at first. When he saw that the person was wearing the guard uniform of his own castle, he couldn’t help but curse, “Didn’t I tell you? Without my permission, not even if the sky fell should you enter this room!”

The guard trembled violently before finally gasping, “M-my lord… it’s bad… the sky… it’s really about to fall… Those barbarians have reached the city gates! We might not be able to hold out. Please make a decision soon… or it will be too late!!!”

*Thud—*

Gabriel’s teacup shattered on the floor, spilling dust everywhere.

“That’s impossible!” He looked up at the windows around him. In the darkness, the entire City of Rui Gen appeared peaceful, with no sign of any alarms. “Are you lying about the situation? If not, will you be beheaded?”

Gabriel was furious. He glared at the guard on the ground, his anger almost boiling over.

The guard trembled again and collapsed to the ground, speaking almost in tears, “My lord… can’t you see the flames in the sky? The barbarians have attacked! They’ve arrived!”

Seeing the guard’s desperate words, Gabriel grew even more puzzled. He exchanged a glance with Evan and stepped to the window together. In the darkness, there were indeed no flames. Yet still, both of them couldn’t help but change expressions. Both of them had some skill and immediately sensed the thick atmosphere of danger in the air. Viscount Evan seemed to remember something and said, “It’s bad!”

At that moment, the guard lying on the ground suddenly raised his head slowly. Though he had an ordinary face, it was covered in all sorts of strange runes. With a flick of his hand, two fork-like objects appeared in each of his hands. Then he took a deep breath and rushed at Gabriel and Evan like lightning.

At the same time, Gabriel and Evan also reacted, and two completely different types of combat auras flared up…

…

After leaving what was said to be the tallest bell tower in the entire City of Rui Gen, Du Fan and Oscar both seemed a bit relieved.

When they reached the door of the bell tower’s hall, Selina was standing there stubbornly. Du Fan glanced at her briefly and could tell she was almost fainting, but for some reason, she kept holding on with sheer willpower.

Oscar frowned at first glance and said, “Lord Du Fan, this is once again your fault. This lady is so badly injured, yet you still let her stand like this. It could cost someone their life.”

Du Fan glanced at Selina and said calmly, “One must pay a price for their mistakes. If nothing is done, she won’t learn her lesson… Well, follow me… But decide for yourself what to listen to and what not.”

His last words were meant for Selina. She nodded through gritted teeth and followed behind, her steps unsteady.

Seeing that she was following, Du Fan simply nodded and quickened his pace, joining Oscar.

Strolling in this garden covered with ivy, the scenery was ordinary, but the air was fresh. The night breeze was a bit cold, yet it dispelled people’s fatigue.

With one hand behind his back and the other holding the crystal card given to him by Gabriel, Oscar spun it around and said, “One hundred thousand gold coins. This Lord Gabriel of the City of Gabriel is truly wealthy. He spent so much money on me, a useless bard. I doubt he had good intentions.”

Du Fan smiled and said, “Lord Oscar became famous through his music. These one hundred thousand gold coins do indeed lower your status. In my opinion, this Baron Gabriel is a bit stingy. If Lord Oscar is willing to sing ‘Seize the Thorns’ at my Duke Green’s residence, I can’t offer more than that, but I can give him a few more gold coins than Lord Gabriel.”

Oscar laughed heartily, casually stuffing your crystal card into his pocket, and said softly, “Young Master Du Fan is joking. If I get the chance to sing in the capital once, it would be an honor for me as a bard… But then again, compared to this small gain I had tonight, you, Young Master Du Fan, have indeed reaped great benefits, right? Though I don’t know much about these things, I’m sure your gains tonight are more than just one million gold coins, right?”
Du Fan replied calmly, “Indeed, it’s more than that. What I gained tonight can be considered enormous. However, there’s no such thing as a free lunch in this world. With those two’s scheming nature, even if they want to use our Green Family’s connections, they won’t invest in me. My elder brother is lustful, my second brother craves power—those two are the ones worth befriending. As for me, I’m just a white-robed priest. It’s much harder for me to connect with the Green Family on my own. If I’m not wrong, those two gentlemen don’t have good intentions… If others find out, my reputation will be ruined.”
Du Fan spoke with great conviction, as if he were truly as pure as a young vegetable. Oscar smiled inwardly but said, “That’s only natural. But since Young Master Du Fan has seen through this, I, Oscar, needn’t worry. I’ve talked to you so much today, and I’m sure you remember everything. If you think it over carefully, it won’t be hard to understand those two old foxes’ intentions.”
Du Fan smiled and said, “Thank you for your concern, Lord Oscar. But if I’m not mistaken, tomorrow, Lord Gabriel will surely give you another few hundred thousand gold coins, asking you to spread the word about tonight’s events widely. I, Du Fan, care about my reputation and don’t want such things to become public. Please keep this a secret, Lord Oscar. Although I’m just a minor figure, if I owe you, Lord Oscar, a favor, do you think that’s a good thing or a bad thing?”
Oscar laughed heartily and said, “Of course, of course… Even if Lord Du Fan doesn’t say anything, wouldn’t I understand what that means?”
The two exchanged glances and smiled—everything was understood without words…
Book 9: The Northern Barbarians