Irena began to recount her experiences along the way to Edgar.
Bai Shi did not disturb the father and daughter.
He walked over to the Recusant, who was now bound hand and foot and still unconscious, with a soldier standing guard beside him.
Upon seeing Bai Shi approach, the soldier immediately dropped to one knee and saluted him, which startled Bai Shi.
Taking a closer look, he saw it was the youngest soldier.
“Hey? What are you doing?”
After finishing his salute, the soldier stood up and spoke to Bai Shi with excitement.
“The castellan just told us everything that happened. He ordered us to be respectful when facing you.”
“Even if the castellan hadn't said anything, I would still respect you. You faced those beasts alone and avenged our fallen kin. You are the hero of Castle Morne!”
Overcome with emotion, two streams of tears rolled down the soldier's face. Nᴇw novel chapters are publɪshed on 𝔫𝔬𝔳𝔢𝔩~𝕗𝕚𝕣𝕖~𝙣𝙚𝙩
The faces of those who had died were still vivid in his mind—his family, his companions, his childhood sweetheart... his entire life.
And now, they had all been reduced to mangled corpses, jumbled together, difficult to distinguish.
Their numbers were too few, their strength too little. Forget about wiping out the Misbegotten to avenge everyone; they might not even be able to protect the few remaining survivors.
Bai Shi remained silent, taking no joy in the praise.
No matter how great the soldier made him out to be, those who had died could never return.
He patted the soldier on the shoulder.
“I won't be staying in Castle Morne forever. If you don't want this kind of tragedy to happen again, you must become stronger. Only then can you protect the people important to you.”
“Next time, you'll have to rely on yourselves for revenge.”
The soldier wiped away his tears and nodded with determination.
“By the way, my lord, do you wish to interrogate this man?”
“Shall I take you to the prison? There's an interrogation room there.”
Bai Shi quickly waved his hands. What a joke. Killing and interrogating were two different things.
Although Bai Shi had killed quite a few people since transmigrating and even enjoyed executing them with violence, he preferred to leave the specialized business of torture to the professionals.
“No need. I just came to see if he has any other dangerous items on him.”
In truth, Bai Shi was here to search the body.
This man’s status seemed higher than the other Recusant Bai Shi had killed.
He was probably carrying all the important items. The Bewitching Branch and the Flask were both good things; if he could find something else of value, it would be a huge gain.
“Oh, I see. As expected, you are very thorough.”
The young soldier looked at Bai Shi with admiration. This lord was not only exceptionally brave but also mindful of potential dangers. He was truly amazing.
Fortunately, Bai Shi didn't know what he was thinking, or he would have been embarrassed. He was just trying to pick up some items.
The first thing he found was the black short crossbow. This weapon had ambushed him twice, leaving a deep impression.
He picked it up, and its name appeared before his eyes—Crepus's Black Crossbow (Replica).
Bai Shi was a little surprised. It was the first time he'd seen an item with a "(Replica)" suffix.
Crepus was a name. Bai Shi remembered him as the chief of the Recusants and the most skilled assassin in the Roundtable Hold. A few items related to him could be found in the game.
And Crepus's Black Crossbow was indeed a black crossbow, which should be stored in the Roundtable Hold at this moment.
Bai Shi figured the Recusants must have created standardized crossbows based on Crepus's original design.
In the accompanying small quiver were eight black, barbed crossbow bolts, also replicas—Black-Key Bolts (Replica). Slipping the crossbow onto his lower back, Bai Shi continued to frisk the Recusant.
The movement quickly roused the unconscious man.
Seeing Bai Shi alive and well before him, he knew his mission had been a complete failure.
Spitting out a broken tooth and a mouthful of blood, he spoke faintly:
“Heh, so Singh didn't manage to kill you. And he boasted of being a Misbegotten warrior. A beast is a beast, after all. Can't expect much.”
Bai Shi slapped him across the face, knocking out a few more of his teeth.
“A rat hiding in the shadows has learned to speak. How miraculous.”
The Recusant stared at Bai Shi with hatred, then slowly forced what he thought was an amiable smile.
But with so few teeth left, the smile was rather grotesque.
“As a fellow Tarnished, you must know of the Two Fingers. Help me complete the command of the great Two Fingers.”
Bai Shi frowned. Why did all these guys say the same thing?
And why did they always wait until they were on the verge of death to try and recruit their opponent? No one in their right mind would join them at a time .
But he couldn't really blame them. After all, assassins rarely survived capture.
They weren't begging for their lives out of fear, but merely trying to fulfill the Two Fingers' command, no matter how debased or manipulative they had to be.
Seeing Bai Shi's silence, the Recusant thought he had a chance and opened his mouth to continue his persuasion.
But suddenly, something was thrust into his mouth, filling it completely.
It wasn't anything strange, just Bai Shi's hand.
Well aware of their tendencies, Bai Shi had jammed his palm straight into the man's mouth.
With four fingers inside and his thumb on the outside, he gripped the Recusant's jaw and pulled down forcefully, dislocating it.
The Recusant's saliva, mixed with blood, dripped continuously as he kicked his legs, letting out muffled cries of pain from his throat.
“Your companion already said the rest for you. You can just shut up now.”
Bai Shi resumed his search and soon found the Recusant's personal pouch.
Opening it, he found that there were indeed more good things inside.
A Bewitching Branch lay quietly in the pouch. Bai Shi could almost perceive a certain charm emanating from it.
He shook his head, casting out these strange thoughts. The possessions of an Empyrean were truly extraordinary; they always seemed to distract him. He had to treat them with caution.
Ignoring the Bewitching Branch for now, Bai Shi found another item.
It was a kind of pot, emitting a faint smell of blood. Two concentric circles of sigils were branded on it—the mark of the Two Fingers.
The type of pot appeared before Bai Shi's eyes—a Beast-lure Pot.
Bai Shi hadn't used this type of pot much, but he vaguely remembered it was used to induce beasts to attack.
It seemed the Recusants had used this pot to enhance the Misbegotten's aggression, causing them to break free from Singh's influence.
There was also a small, dreamlike emblem that shimmered with a hazy white light. It was a Baldachin's Blessing.
Bai Shi was dumbfounded. This guy was one of Fia's champions too.
At this rate, he'd run into one of Fia's champions even when he was just out to kill some Misbegotten.
There was nothing else of note, just some ordinary rations and a few crystal darts.
After finishing his search, Bai Shi felt refreshed. Pillaging enemies was an essential part of the Lands Between experience.