While Frank was being confined at Blackwater, Huub Droitner was glowering as he paced around in his hotel room.He would shoot an occasional but vicious glare at his goon who was kneeling nearby before eventually bellowing, "Incompetent fools!"Even as the goon flinched, Huub ranted, "All I told you is to find an herb for me, but none of you could find it?! What's the point of me keeping any of you around?! You're all useless!"The goon was certainly wounded by Huub's blame too. "But, sir—the herb is really rare! We asked everyone we could ask across Zamri and Bralog, but no one knew about it! There's no way we would know! And if no one knows, we don't even know where to start!"Huub might have promised Helen that he would bring her a Bloodcrane Spiritbloom, but in reality, he did not know what it was.In fact, he had never heard that name before—he was just trying to look good, snapping back at Frank and pretending that he knew to impress Helen.As such, when Helen urged him to
As his colleague now reported that he had found the Bloodcrane Spiritbloom, the goon wondered if his men were all working together to trick him by telling him that no one had told him about it.Still, he decided it was not the case, as his men had been working for him for a while.Moreover, they heard that Huub was willing to pay five million dollars for it, so they would definitely want that money.As such, he was keen to see this Bloodcrane Spiritbloom his colleague was bringing Huub.Still, Huub did a double take just then, seeing the gleeful look on his goon's face but nothing in his hands. "You said you've found it—well, where is it?"Though the goon's smile faded, he quickly threw up his hands. "The Bloodcrane Spiritbloom is really precious, Mr. Droitner... I can't hold it with my bare hands."Huub nodded—that made sense, as touching the herb directly might ruin it. "Then where is it? We will go and get it right now!""Okay!" The goon did not keep everyone in suspense an
"What the hell?"Huub's expression was as cold as ice.He always knew that undertakers were so eloquent that they could give fortune tellers a run for their money. However, nothing they ever said would be true, as it was all a sales pitch.And Huub could not care less about people like them, so he snorted and turned to leave."Hey now, sir!"Seeing that Huub was going to abandon his unconscious goon, the unscrupulous geezer hurried to him and started rambling, "You could let me handle his funeral matters. I promise that it will be my finest work. The deposit would be…"As his eyes narrowed in glee and he rubbed his hands at Huub, his intention could not have been clearer."Fuck off!" Huub's other goon barked.He had come to see what was this Bloodcrane Spiritbloom his colleague found, only for him to bring them to such a dank, gloomy place.And as it turned out, his colleague messed up big time.The goon would have laughed—in fact, he wanted to do it from the start. But seein
Huub snorted before chuckling coolly. "But if I haven't seen the Bloodcrane Spiritbloom before, do you think Helen Lane or her mother would? The only ones who have would be Frank Lawrence and that kidnapper… Hell, maybe that kidnapper never saw it too."The goon realized what he was saying right then. "Oh! So you're saying…"Huub nodded, his lips curling into a sneer. "Yes. Since no one would know what it looks like, I could just get something that could pass off as the Bloodcrane Spiritbloom. Helen Lane and her mother don't know anything anyway, and if the kidnapper kills her hostage, I just have to keep denying it, and it's good as done."Hell, I could use that as an excuse to inflate the value of the flower, forcing her into submission through an astronomical debt. I won't lose anything even if she refuses—I'd just take her by force."Huub's good had to give him a thumbs up in praise. "You're a genius, sir!" Soon, the unscrupulous geezer returned with a fragrant flower and red
"I refuse!"The geezer remained determined."Hmph."Huub snorted at his stubbornness and stepped aside.His goon caught his cue right then.He was naturally a powerful martial artist—that was how he got the job.He strode forward right then and lifted the geezer off the ground, his face inches away from the geezer's as he growled threateningly, "Do you know who you're trying to con here? This is Huub Droitner of Bralog's Droitner Incorporated! It seems that you're really asking for it!" "D-Droitner Incorporated? So what? T-This is Zamri, not Bralog! You don't get to strut here!"The geezer remained defiant despite the goon's threat, but the panic in his eyes betrayed his fear."Strut, you say?"Huub chuckled coolly nearby. "All of Zamri would soon be beneath my feet—pawns like you would never understand."Walking up, he snatched the fake flower on the table. "I was going to pay you five hundred bucks for your troubles, but since you don't know what's good for you, you're no
"Hehe…"Draco Fisher's fat cheeks were squeezed together, his eyes narrowed into slits.He rubbed his pudgy hands together, salivating at the beautiful woman before him. "I didn't know you'd be visiting, Lady Silverbell! Sorry for not preparing a reception for you!""Save the formalities."Silverbell maintained her cool demeanor as the chief of the Martial Alliance, the look on her face warning others to keep their distance. "I came for one reason—I want you to release one of your prisoners.""What…"Draco's eyes widened at Silverbell's cool yet melodious voice, but he was so fat that his eyes did not widen all that much.Still, he shook his head and waved her off as if by instinct. "No, no, no. I'm afraid that won't do, Lady Silverbell. You know that Blackwater is under the grand commissioner's jurisdiction. Even as the president's confidants, you can't—""The person I want to free is not who you think it is."Silverbell said quietly, "I don't know what bribes you've received
Naturally, Draco also knew that his ties to Droitner Inc. were even more incriminating than how he treated Frank here in Blackwater.After all, Frank was arrested under charges that Droitner Inc. discovered, and there was no doubt that Droitner Inc. had been bribing him.That was how they could convince Draco to arrest Frank and lock him up in Blackwater.If word got out, not only would there be a new warden, but his entire family would end up in a Blackwater cell too.Experiencing an inmate's life notwithstanding, he would count himself lucky if he survived a day. After all, everyone had seen how he treated the inmates as a warden.Even as he fully understood the consequences of what he did now, Draco was afraid to continue imagining.How would Frank forgive them after what he and his brother had done before?If he refused to release Frank or stubbornly refused to admit to his crimes, this would lead to a conflict of interest between the president of Draconia and the grand comm
At those words, Silverwell drew her sword with a swish, pressing it against Draco's neck as she snapped coolly, "Since you can't decide, why don't I help you right now?""Argh!"Feeling the sharpness of Silverbell's sword against his pudgy neck, Draco quickly threw his hands up in panic. "Please, this is a mistake, Lady Silverbell! Breaking out of prison is a capital crime in Draconia! My life is worth nothing, but yours is!""Are you releasing him or not?!" Silverbell bellowed, pressing her sword into Draco's neck.Draco's face dropped as he felt the sting of the edge, and his own blood trickling down along it.He did not expect the chief of the Martial Alliance to go that far for Frank, ready to break him out of prison even if it meant taking Draco down.They were talking about a capital crime here!Be that as it may, Draco was not really concerned about escaping inmates—the only thing he worried about was what Silverbell would do.So much as one flick, and it was his head on