6kv Chapter 60 The young one died, and the old one is gone too.
Chapter 60 The young one died, and the old one is gone too.
"Have you heard about the red dragon that crashed two months ago?"
"You mean the Hohenheim heir was burned to ashes?" Torin scoffed. "Those nobles wanted to keep it a secret, but news of Kyle's reckless attempt to mess with a dragon's backside has already spread throughout Rust Harbor's underworld."
"That woman is the one who gutted the red dragon; she seems to have a blood feud with it." Rhodes shrugged. "But this crazy woman mistook me for one of the dragon's followers."
"Hmm? You, a human, can be a dragon cub?" Torin raised his thick, stiff eyebrows, his nostrils twitching, and leaned closer to Rhodes, taking a deep breath. "But... you do have that indelible sulfur and dragon stench on you. I noticed it last time. How did you get it on?"
"Pshaw, who knows?"
Rhodes didn't intend to waste his breath on that pile of old, messy accounts, and he didn't want to mention his encounter with the dragon's corpse.
Knowing the inside story, Damon was already afraid of being skinned alive by the Hohenheim family, so he led the remaining members of the Anvil Adventurers and fled Rust Harbor overnight.
Now, almost no one in this place knows that he and Avira are survivors who crawled out from beside the red dragon's corpse.
Rhodes changed the subject: "If you don't want to get into trouble these next few days, it's best to close the shop and keep quiet for a while. That woman is a half-dragon, and the guild's hounds will definitely come looking for her."
"Pah! Those cold-blooded bastards." Torin spat a mouthful of phlegm on the ground. "Dealing with them, I'd rather have that dragon girl knock me unconscious with her tail again. But Rust Harbor has indeed been like a pot of boiling swill lately. Old Hansen is hoarding the filth of the Old Gods, deep magic is surging, and today a half-dragon popped up... Oh, God of Forging, I almost forgot about that... Baron Donovan is dead, have you heard?"
"oh?"
Rod's eyebrows twitched slightly.
Even Chiba didn't know about this news; it must have happened in the last couple of days.
"How did he die? That old man was incredibly stubborn. Just half a month ago, when he was whipping slaves at the market, the whip could still crack."
As one of the unfortunate souls who were exploited and bullied by the eldest son of Hohenheim, Rhodes witnessed greed devour Kyle and orchestrated the sale of the so-called "artifact" to Victor, causing that fool to be torn to pieces by the monsters he attracted.
With the death of the two "excellent" heirs whom they had barely chosen after nitpicking, Rhodes remained on guard against the old baron's final, furious attack.
Wild animals that have lost their offspring are the most dangerous; even if they only catch a whiff of their scent, they will pounce on them and bite their throats without regard for their own lives.
The plans Rhodes had in mind for dealing with city-wide manhunts and assassinations by private soldiers now seemed like they could be thrown into the fire as kindling.
"He died of anger, how else could he have died?"
Tolin rubbed his calloused hands on his dirty apron and grinned widely.
"When news of Victor's death reached the old baron, he coughed up a basin full of blood that very day. In addition, Victor sold off his most valuable property, the Black River Vineyard, at a bargain price in order to buy our 'divine weapon,' which emptied half of the Hohenheim family's coffers."
"Now that the main person is gone, all those cousins and nephews who are usually completely unrelated to him are now eyeing this piece of bloody flesh, swarming over like vultures."
"The night before last, Donovan had a huge argument with a distant relative at the manor and vomited blood and fainted on the spot. I have reliable sources that Hohenheim Manor is already nailing coffin lids on."
The dwarf paused, grabbed the ale beside him, gulped it down, and let out a sour burp: "With Donovan gone, Hohenheim Manor is now more chaotic than a vegetable market."
"It's good to have a good show." Rhodes pictured the complete collapse of a fallen noble family. "The rightful heirs are all dead, and the once solid family assets have become ownerless meat. The only thought those collateral relatives have now is to tear off a piece that belongs to them from this corpse."
"Indeed!" Tolin laughed loudly. "I heard that yesterday, the old baron's nephew and his men fought the steward over the remaining armor and weapons in the storeroom, almost spilling their brains. Now who has time to care how Victor died? Who has time to investigate that damned family ring?"
Rod's smile deepened.
He knew all too well the character of those so-called noble collateral relatives.
For the pack of starving hyenas, the deaths of Victor and Kyle were not a tragedy, but rather a windfall.
If Rod hadn't removed these two obstacles, how could they have inherited the Hohenheim fortune?
Forget about revenge; if these people knew that the real culprit was Rod, they'd probably kowtow to him and thank him in private.
Rhodes reached into his robes and pulled out the small black book, still warm from his touch, turning to the page on "Hohenheim Family Debts".
The paper was filled with notes detailing the stolen Orim, interest, forced bribes, and even the losses from the smashed Chiba shop.
He gripped the pen and heavily crossed out the name "Hohenheim".
"While the hyenas were busy devouring the lion's carcass, they had no time to pay attention to the hunter who had set the trap." Rhodes closed his notebook, his shoulders feeling as light as if a thousand-pound weight had been lifted. "This messy debt is now completely settled, principal and interest."
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One hour later.
Rust Harbor, on the outskirts of the black market, a tavern private room that's open all night.
The cheap tallow candle crackled on the table, its dim light licking at Chiba's slightly anxious profile.
The fox-girl was bored, her fingers twirling and unwinding her hair, while her bushy tail behind her kept thrashing against the back of the chair with a dull thud.
At that moment, the door hinges rubbed together with a harsh, screeching sound, and the box door opened.
Rod walked in, his clothes damp and cold from the rain, followed by Ivira, whose face was still somewhat pale.
"Oh dear, boss, if you don't show up soon, I'll start to think you're planning to elope with our knight lady and abandon her."
Chiba narrowed her amber eyes. Although she complained like a wronged woman who had been abandoned, she sprang up from her chair with agility and her gaze swept over the two of them.
"Hmm? The metallic smell mixed with the bitterness of alchemical potions... It seems you two had quite an exciting hour of being late?"
Her gaze swept quickly over Avira: "Miss Knight, looking so disheveled, it seems you ran into a brick wall? Is that why you're late?"
"Don't even mention it, you could say it was a stroke of incredible luck, like winning the 'big prize'."
Rod pulled out a chair, his wet shoes leaving a muddy mark on the wooden floor.
"I guess I didn't pray to Lady Luck when I left home, and I ran into a reckless plague. In order to shake her off, I not only smashed several bottles of specially made alchemical artifacts, but also lost a bottle of high-purity recovery potion worth 30 orms. Before I even opened a business, I've already lost all my capital."
"30 Orim?" Chiba exclaimed in astonishment. "You're really willing to spend a fortune. In this godforsaken place, who could possibly force you to go this far?"
"A half-dragon woman." Avira took the water glass and gulped down a mouthful, her throat still dry. "Her strength is terrifying. If it weren't for Lord Rhodes' quick reaction, we probably wouldn't have been able to escape unscathed."
"A half-dragon?" Chiba's ears twitched, his smile freezing on his face. "Why would such a rare creature sneak into a rat hole in the slums? And was it targeting you?"
"He's a vengeful guy who's lost his mind and thinks I'm the Red Dragon's lackey."
Rod didn't intend to waste any more words. He pulled out several deeply creased parchments from his pocket and threw them on the table along with the money pouch containing the agreed amount.
"We'll talk about that woman later. Here's the final payment, and a list of additional purchases. Where are the things I ordered?"