Chapter 017: The Night

Night descended gradually, enveloping the entire city of Mordo in endless darkness. Occasionally, a few lights appeared, but they vanished just as quickly. Though this place was the capital of Kort, the northern region had always been desolate, far less prosperous compared to the imperial capital.

Horses’ hooves could be heard in the darkness, along with occasional barks of dogs echoing in the night sky, only to be silenced again by the cold darkness. What a desolate scene!

At that moment, Du Fan was wearing a magnificent mink coat. Carefully crafted, it featured small magic stones hanging in key areas, not only forming a defensive magic array but also adding to the coat’s luxury and elegance. Clearly, it was the work of a master craftsman. Such a creation required not only profound artistic skill and expertise but also the abilities of a great mage and alchemist—otherwise, such a masterpiece could never be made.

On the Roland Continent, there were but a few people capable of achieving such things. If this mink coat were put up for auction, it would undoubtedly attract countless appraisers and discussions for a long time. Unfortunately, in Du Fan’s eyes, aside from keeping him warm, the coat had no other use.

He tapped his forehead lightly a few times before saying indifferently, “Alright… I’ll consider what you’ve said. But Lord Brandon, you must keep order in Mordo these days. If anything goes wrong with the plan I’ve arranged, I’ll hold you accountable!”

Brandon, sitting below, looked uneasy. Wiping the sweat from his forehead, he said, “Of course, I understand. Please rest assured, Young Master Du Fan… I will fulfill my duties to the best of my ability.”

Du Fan nodded and said, “In that case, you may go now… If I need anything, I’ll come back to you.”

Brandon hurriedly replied, “Yes… Yes… I understand. I’ll go handle things then. Goodbye.”

Du Fan smiled faintly and said, “Have a good journey. I won’t see you off. And… I really like the coat you gave me.”

Brandon looked panicked and said, “This is just my humble gift. Please speak well of me to the Duke, Young Master Du Fan!”

Du Fan nodded but said nothing more, merely waving his hand.

Brandon quickly retreated, leaving Du Fan alone in the cathedral hall once more. A moment later, there was a knock at the door. Du Fan said indifferently, “Come in!” The person who entered was dressed in military attire, with a resolute expression on his face—it was Fei Lei. Fei Lei stepped behind Du Fan and said respectfully, “Young Master Du Fan, did you call for me?” Du Fan nodded slightly, pointed at the view outside the window, and said gravely, “Fei Lei, what do you think of Governor Brandon?” From their position, they could see Brandon slowly getting into a carriage. Fei Lei said in a low voice, “I believe this man is untrustworthy. No matter what we plan to do, it’s better to rely on our own people rather than him.” “Our own people?” Du Fan nodded with a faint smile. “Well, we’ll have to see who those people are… But although Governor Brandon doesn’t have much backing, he is adept at seizing opportunities for profit. Everyone else thinks that I, Du Fan, suffered a great loss in this meeting with Ordas, but it was actually he who saw that Ordas would suffer the real loss. Did you see? He even brings such a valuable gift to us now—seems he really has high hopes for our Green family!” Fei Lei glanced at Du Fan, took a deep breath, and said, “So it’s such a fine piece. It seems Governor Brandon has quite a wealthy family!” Du Fan said softly, “After being governor for decades, even the poorest family will become wealthy. Otherwise, do you think so many people would fight desperately for noble titles? Fei Lei, stay by my side carefully. When the time comes, maybe I can give you a governorship too.” Fei Lei’s eyes flashed, and he said, “I dare not indulge in such thoughts. I am willing to stay by Young Master Du Fan’s side for life.” Du Fan turned to look at him and said softly, “Heh… You do know how to show loyalty at critical moments… But don’t worry. I, Du Fan, would never do something like abandoning those who have served me.” Fei Lei’s expression changed, and he quickly knelt down, saying, “I dare not indulge in such thoughts.” Du Fan touched his nose and said indifferently, “It’s good that you’re not thinking nonsense… Alright, tell me, how has your task for me gone?” Fei Lei stood up and said, “This time, by following Xuelan, we managed to reach the hiding place of the Belinger family. We were almost discovered a few times on the way out, but luckily, thanks to Young Master Du Fan’s good fortune, we managed to avoid danger…”

Du Fan said indifferently, “It’s good that nothing happened… What do you think of Selina?”
Feyre hesitated for a moment before replying, “Selina is quick-witted and decisive in her actions; she’s a talent indeed. But her only flaw is her poor martial skills—she’s not very useful in combat!”
Du Fan nodded and said, “It doesn’t matter if her skills are weak; they can be improved over time. What’s important is loyalty. Feyre, let me be honest with you. Although my Green Family has many people at its disposal, they’re not all under my direct control. There are some things I don’t want the family to know, so I need my own forces… Think carefully. Is it possible for Selina to lead my private army?”
Feyre pondered for a while before saying, “It’s possible, but it might be inappropriate for a woman to lead a private army. It would be better if a man took on that role…”
Du Fan glanced at Feyre and said, “Since you say so, let’s see which of the Temple Knights who follow me is suitable. But it’s not urgent. You can give me an answer once we return to the capital… For now, we still have many things to do… Come with me to meet those two guests now!”
Feyre nodded and said, “Yes!”
Du Fan smiled slightly, tugged at the hem of his mink coat, and slowly walked out.
Du Fan wandered around the chapel. Every priest and guard he passed bowed respectfully. After a while, he arrived at a place that resembled a basement.
Du Fan knocked gently on the door a few times. After a while, the door slowly opened. The first person to step out was Tasia.
Tasia’s face was pale, and she seemed somewhat exhausted. Du Fan felt embarrassed upon seeing her but couldn’t help but whisper, “I’m sorry for troubling you again.”
Tasia shook her head, seemingly wanting to say something, but when she saw Feyre behind Du Fan, she swallowed her words.
Du Fan looked around the room for a while. Ling Yin was sitting cross-legged in a corner. Sensing Du Fan’s arrival, she opened her eyes to glance at him once before closing them again. Nicholas, on the other hand, was sitting on the sofa, looking extremely exhausted, with an unusual redness on his face.
Besides them, there was a large bed in the room. The unconscious Kris was lying on it, while the charred Bruce was casually thrown at the foot of the bed.

By the bed, Chenchen was staring at Kris from head to toe, as if looking at something interesting. Seeing this, Du Fan sighed softly. He glanced at the others and said, “I’m troubling you all this time… I can handle the rest by myself. You all go and rest!” The others nodded slightly, and moments later, only Feray remained behind Du Fan. Du Fan signaled for them to wait in place before slowly stepping forward a few steps. Coughing lightly, he asked, “How are these two?” “They won’t die,” Chenchen replied, glancing at Du Fan. “But Miss Kris has something strange going on inside her. I remember having already removed the poison from her before, yet now there’s more poison in her body, as if someone deliberately poisoned her… As for this one, although he’s unconscious, he won’t die right away either.” Du Fan nodded slightly and said, “I see… Please keep an eye on Miss Kris for me. Just make sure she doesn’t die. As for Lord Bruce, I still have questions for him… Feray, bring him here…” Feray behind him responded, stepped forward, grabbed Bruce by his clothes, and dragged him outside. Chenchen glanced at Du Fan and whispered, “Don’t kill him playing around.” Du Fan smiled faintly and said, “I, Du Fan, know my limits. If I want him to live, he definitely won’t die. If I want him to die, he definitely won’t have a chance to survive… But don’t worry. Since I asked you to capture him alive, there must be my reasons… If Bruce wants to die, I doubt there’s anything better in the world than that!”