Under the night sky, amid the autumn wind, the person who called himself 'Shadow Snake' Ciudik watched Arthur, who was determinedly ascending, and unconsciously his pupils shrank.
And when the swirling leaves danced wildly, and those horrific words resounded from Arthur's mouth, the other party's scalp began to tingle immediately.
A madman like the Kledos Family!
Why insist on mutual destruction from the start!
All I wanted was to give you a scare to extract some information, and incidentally rescue my teacher!
If we stay any longer, we'll definitely die!
Without any more hesitation, the person who called himself 'Shadow Snake' Ciudik immediately employed the secret technique taught by his teacher—
"Starlight sixty-four, Moonlight forty-six, Sun's glow nineteen, as if traveling a thousand miles..."
A faint glow, following the incantation, enveloped both himself and the unconscious Impostor.
The next moment, the glow burst forth.
The entire Cork Street was illuminated.
Both the Impostor and the person who called himself 'Shadow Snake' Ciudik had vanished.
But, while the people were gone.
All their belongings were left behind.
Including their clothes.
The falling purse, a jumble of trinkets inside, made a series of crisp sounds as they echoed through Cork Street.
Arthur, who almost lost his balance from shock, nearly fell off the 'Hand of Void'.
You should know, at the moment the two Impostors had vanished, Arthur was filled with intense envy for the secret technique or prop that facilitated such an instantaneous escape.
He would never streak.
Under the moonlit night, to run naked would be too shameless.
He, Arthur, could not do it.
With endless mockery in his heart, Arthur maintained a solemn exterior. The 'secret technique words' from his mouth had already stopped, and a suitable hint of confusion appeared in his eyes.
It seemed he was puzzled as to why 'Shadow Snake' Ciudik had fled just like that.
After hesitating for a second.
The young 'Spirit Medium' descended from mid-air and began to clean up the battlefield, then slowly walked back to No. 2 Cork Street.
Just as the door to No. 2 Cork Street was closing, a slightly rapid panting sound seemed to come from behind the door.
The people hiding in the shadows of Cork Street, who had remained terrified the entire time, finally breathed a sigh of relief when they heard the panting—are relieved, as this seemed right to them.
The secret technique just used was definitely not ordinary.
It absolutely was a do-or-die kind!
Even if it was stopped midway, such a technique couldn't possibly have no cost!
Is this the Kledos Family?
Never compromise in the name of battle!
Those hiding in the darkness reminisced about the words just spoken by the young 'Spirit Medium', and in the end, they didn't have the courage to approach No. 2 Cork Street again.
They had been frightened.
They had never seen such powerful people who were so ready to risk their lives from the beginning.
Even though Arthur's condition wasn't good at the time, they wouldn't try it lightly.
Who knows what's inside No. 2 Cork Street?
Who knows whether Arthur has the ability to perform the same secret technique again?
Of course, more importantly...
The Kledos Family is not just one person.
Apart from Arthur, there was Old Charlie, there was Drake, Cassandra, and the missing Winters!
If something happened to Arthur, these people would probably stop at nothing.
And unlike the young Arthur, these people would certainly have more experience, stronger abilities, especially that Old Charlie.
Having such great power, but always choosing Secrecy, there must be something hidden.
Whose hidden force might it be?
These people speculated.
Meanwhile, their belief that Arthur knew about the descendants of the "Bloodline Clan" grew stronger— it seemed only natural to them that such a secretive, "Secrecy-oriented" family would be privy to certain information that ordinary people were not aware of.
Perhaps, there might even be some sort of collaboration.
Those hidden in the shadows retreated one after another.
Inside No. 2 Cork Street, textual notifications flickered before Arthur's eyes—
[Intimidation Lv4: 10/20]
'Those guys are even more afraid of dying than I thought.'
Using Fujin and Wuni's eyes to watch the retreating crowd, Arthur couldn't help but sigh inwardly as he reached out to turn off the gunpowder depot's ignition switch.
The moment the man claiming to be 'Shadow Snake' Ciudik appeared, Arthur distinctly felt several malicious gazes, some of which set off his "Death Intuition."
To this, Arthur was not surprised.
Fishing in troubled waters is human nature.
After all, the descendants of the "Bloodline Clan" were representatives of the once "Blood Marquis," and how wealthy could a noble from the Silver Age be?
Even if the "Blood Marquis" was a thing of the past, the assets that remained were tempting enough to stir people's hearts.
Therefore, even for the most far-fetched rumors, these people were willing to give it a try.
And that was precisely what Arthur wanted.
He needed such a stage to prove his origins and bloodline to more people!
Previously, he had 'confessed everything' to Marinda, and through this lady's word, the Countess would certainly have some understanding of the true identity of the Kledos Family as the Black Cat Faction.
But she would not come to a direct conclusion!
And now was the time for him to further prove to her that the Kledos Family indeed was the Black Cat Faction—just a bit more formidable than imagined!
Of course, this was just the beginning!
According to Arthur's plan, the moment everyone recognized the Kledos Family as the Black Cat Faction was the time for the Kledos Family to smoothly reveal a hidden corner—
This was the formal deception that the Kledos Family needed.
It was also the reason why this Black Cat Faction had to be just a little bit more formidable than the rumors suggested.
It would naturally be the Kledos Family's own grand lineage.
'You all care about origins and bloodlines, don't you?'
'Then I'll fabricate one that you could never imagine, and could never rise to!'
Arthur thought to himself, then sighed inwardly.
'What a cruel and fearsome world this is, in order to survive, I, the weak, pitiful, helpless, and yet pure and upright 'Spirit Medium,' have begun to deceive others!
Alas, I really had no other choice!
It's not me that's wrong, but this world!'
Filled with guilt, Arthur picked up Pendragon.
The young 'Spirit Medium' sought comfort from his cat deep into the night.
It seemed as if the warm, fluffy Pendragon was his only solace in this world.
Perhaps sensing his master's mood, Pendragon began to nuzzle Arthur, comforting him in his own way, and then...
The cat fell out of Arthur's arms to the ground.
The young 'Spirit Medium' suddenly stood up from his chair, holding the spoils of war he had just acquired.
Surprise filled the young 'Spirit Medium's' eyes.
After a pause of three seconds, the young 'Spirit Medium' let out a series of bizarre chuckles from the bottom of his heart—
'To think there would be such a thing!
Ladies and gentlemen, it's time for me to play a little game with you...'
Arthur immediately cast aside the guilt that had just risen in his heart and rapidly started a new scheme inwardly, his gaze fixed on the three props he had just acquired.