When he reached the second underground level and saw the slaves imprisoned behind narrow iron windows, Lin Gui couldn't help but frown.
It wasn't that the slaves inside were particularly dazzling.
Quite the opposite; they were all too ordinary.
The prisoners here were exclusively of the Human race.
They lacked outstandingly handsome features, and their strength was mediocre—the highest among them appeared to be no more than Mid-tier High Rank.
Unlike the slaves on the upper level who were "properly preserved," these people were covered in shocking whip marks and brand scars.
Their clothes were in tatters, and their auras were weak.
How could people like this be imprisoned here? Lin Gui wondered.
Judging by the level of security and the location of their imprisonment, their rank seemed even higher than the elves and beastkin warriors above.
The arrival of the Third Young Master, Fal, drew the attention of many on this level.
One by one, they crowded against the iron windows, watching him in silence.
Fal’s face was filled with anxiety as he hurried through the corridor, searching each window until he reached the cell at the very back.
A girl's voice called out weakly, "Fal... over here..."
Fal immediately rushed over and tightly grasped the hand reached out through the gap in the iron bars—a hand covered in small scars.
His voice choked with emotion.
"Thusa, I'm sorry to keep you waiting... I'm letting you out right now!"
The girl named Thusa shook her head, refusing him.
"Fal, I won't run away with you."
"Uncle Muze and the others are still here; I can't abandon them."
"They... they were all caught by that damned slave merchant because of me."
"If I leave, Erwin will surely beat them to death!"
From the adjacent cell, a weak but firm male voice called out.
"Thusa, go with this little young master. Don't worry about us old bones!"
"If it weren't for Boss Caesar saving us back then, we would have died at the hands of those damned nobles ten years ago!"
Muze's words sparked a low resonance of agreement from the surrounding cells.
"That's right, Thusa!"
"That slave merchant is delaying your release just to use you as a bargaining chip against Mr. Caesar!"
"You can't let the sacrifices of your father and so many of our kin be in vain. Go!"
"Hahahaha! This is killing me!"
A sharp, piercing laugh rang out abruptly from a cell diagonally opposite them.
A man who, despite his tattered clothes, still bore a trace of his former haughty demeanor, was clutching the iron bars and laughing maliciously.
"A bunch of rebel pariahs!"
"Even if this noble young master is willing to help, how is he going to lead the daughter of the rebel leader out of this dungeon?"
"There are Transcendent guards everywhere outside! Killing you would be like slaughtering dogs!"
Fal glared at the man with dissatisfaction.
"Viscount Miles! I have my own way! Now shut your trap!"
"Hahahaha! A way?"
"A way found by an eighteen-year-old Low-tier High Rank waste? What kind of 'way' can a noble degenerate who mingles with rebels possibly have!"
Viscount Miles laughed even more frantically.
"What, do you plan to release your rebel friends and have them cover you?"
"Or do you want to go upstairs and strike a deal with those beastkin warriors?"
"Hahaha, I'll bet my life those thick-headed brutes will just leave you behind and run for it. Why would they block guards for you!"
Miles's laughter was sharp and grating.
Fal's face turned pale; he had indeed thought about trading freedom for the strength of those beastkin warriors...
"How will we know if we don't try? Uncle Roger managed to escape! I don't believe I can't do it too!"
Fal argued stubbornly, trying to boost morale.
"As long as we gather the strength of every slave here, we can surely break through the villa's defenses and lead everyone out!!"
"Hahahaha!! Hahahaha! This is hilarious!!"
Miles acted as if he had heard the greatest joke in the world.
"What was Roger's strength?! And what is yours!!"
"That madman dared to slay his brothers and kill the Royal First Prince! Do you dare?!"
"No! You don't! You're just a Young Master pig—a naive, stupid brat who lives in an ivory tower and knows nothing!"
Thusa and the surrounding rebels glared at the arrogant Miles with rage.
Yet, no one spoke to refute him.
They all knew in their hearts that while Miles's words were harsh, they were a cruel reality.
Erwin would never easily let them, especially Thusa, escape.
If they tried to force their way out, the most likely outcome was Fal being permanently imprisoned while Muze and the others met their deaths.
Fal clenched his fists so hard his nails nearly bit into his palms.
"I didn't want to act so recklessly either... but I have no more time!"
"My father is already prepared to side completely with the Second Prince, and he intends to hand Thusa over as a pledge of loyalty!"
Miles's mockery stopped abruptly, a flash of doubt and alarm crossing his eyes.
"Your father is siding with the Second Prince?? Why?"
"Everyone knows the current situation—the Third Prince is the biggest winner!"
"Having two Legendary knights on his side is enough to compensate for the lack of support from the high nobles!"
Fal said coldly, "Five days ago, the soul lamps of every member of John's Holy Knights... went out."
"That's impossible!!" Miles lunged for the iron bars, his eyes staring at Fal with a ferocious intensity.
"You're lying to me!"
Fal responded with a cold sneer.
"Nothing is impossible. A Legendary dying in the wilderness isn't exactly unheard of."
"The peak of the Carter Kingdom's military strength—Legendary—what does that even count for in the wilderness?"
"The Epic Queen of Eagle Fortress controls the passage through the Withered Rift."
"She cut off the recent Golden Route development that passes through the Magic City, and yet the Carter Royal Capital didn't dare say a damn word."
Seeing Miles still plunged into immense shock, Fal shifted the topic.
"Miles! Didn't you pride yourself on being the Eldest Princess's greatest advisor and asset?"
"Now your arch-rival, the Third Prince, has lost his primary pillar and is at his weakest! Don't you want revenge?"
"Help me! Help me leave this place! I swear in the name of Fal Erwin that once we succeed, I will return your freedom!"
Miles's eyes flashed with a momentary surge of excitement, but it cooled quickly, and he shook his head.
"Impossible... the gap in strength is absolute."
"And you underestimate your father too much."
"I'm afraid he is already on his way here with the Second Prince's men."
"Letting you get the keys and come in so 'easily' might just be a way to keep you firmly under his control."
"After all, that old thing is advanced in years, and his other children all died in the cruel struggle for the throne. You're the only son he has left."
"Once this is over, just wait to be completely imprisoned by him, have a marriage arranged for you, and become a puppet, my dear little young master."
"Exactly because he only has one son!"
Fal almost spat the words through his teeth.
He no longer hesitated and quickly used the keys to unlock all the cages holding the rebels.
He then swiftly unfastened the slave collars from around their necks.
Immediately after, he thrust another sharp dagger he was carrying into Thusa's hand.
Fal looked at Thusa with a look of absolute determination.
"There is only one way to escape successfully."
"Use me as a hostage."
"If they don't believe you and try to attack... cut off one of my fingers. If they still don't believe you..."
He pointed to his chest, his tone unnervingly serious.
"Stab me right here."
"Fal!" Thusa's tears burst forth instantly.
"You don't have to go this far for us..."
Fal smiled, a smile tinged with a hint of nostalgia and bitterness.
"Remember? Back in the slums, you were the one who saved me when I was at death's door, pulling me out of that bottomless, despairing hell."
"I am grateful... that Erwin found me and brought me back here to be a noble young master."
"Because only then did I have the strength and the status to help you."
"And now... is the time to make use of that status!"
Before he even finished speaking, Fal suddenly raised another dagger and plunged it into his own shoulder without hesitation!
It happened too fast! Thusa and the others didn't even have time to react.
Warm blood sprayed from Fal's shoulder.
He endured the searing pain, pulled the bloody dagger out, and threw it to the floor.
He roared at Thusa and the others, who were still staring in a daze.
"Quick! Take me hostage! Thusa, don't hold back! If you can't bring yourself to do it..."
His eyes turned fierce.
"I will end my own life right here."
Thusa looked at Fal's bleeding shoulder and his resolute gaze.
Sobbing, her hand holding the dagger shook violently.
Muze sighed, stepped forward, and gently patted Thusa's shoulder, saying in a low voice.
"Girl, let me do it."
Miles watched this "hostage" performance coldly.
Fal's move was within his expectations.
However, the fact that the boy had acted so decisively caused a flicker of surprise to cross his eyes.
A bunch of fools... he sneered inwardly.
Erwin? He had crossed paths with that old fox many times back when he was an advisor to the Eldest Princess.
The man was ruthless and decisive—a hardened character who could use even his own children as bargaining chips.
How could he not have prepared for Fal being taken hostage?
It was a complete joke!
Miles did not speak up to warn them.
Instead, he put on a malicious expression, ready to sit back and watch the show.
After Fal left, a light breeze drifted in, and Miles couldn't help but sneeze.
"Achoo!! Ugh~ where did this wind come from? It's freezing..."
He rubbed his nose and muttered to himself.
"I wonder when Gladys's people will arrive."
"If this kid wasn't lying to me and John's Holy Knights were truly wiped out..."
"Then this is indeed the only chance for Her Highness to turn the tables and seize the throne..."
On the other side, Muze held the dagger firmly against Fal's neck.
He led Thusa and all the released rebels out of the basement step by step.
However, when they saw the scene outside, their faces turned deathly pale!
In the open space outside the basement exit...
No fewer than fifteen powerful Transcendent guards and over a hundred fierce High Rank mercenaries had already formed a tight perimeter, sealing off the area completely!
Cold weapons, building battle force, and surging mana were locked onto every single one of them.
Muze's heart sank; it was indeed a trap.
Knowing there was no retreat, he pressed the dagger harder against Fal's neck.
A desperate killing intent erupted in his eyes.
He barked a warning toward the fat man sitting on a magnificent sedan chair outside the circle:
"Erwin! Let us pass! You wouldn't want your only son to have an 'accident'!"
Slow, clear clapping rang out.
Erwin, atop the sedan, chuckled as he clapped, his fat face full of mockery.
"My, my. As expected of a good dog raised by the traitor Caesar."
"That's quite the presence; someone who didn't know better might think you were some Legendary pillar."
He turned his head and said flatteringly to a haughty noble in gold-rimmed glasses sitting beside the sedan.
"Lord Magee, you see that little girl hiding in the middle of the crowd? That's the only daughter of the rebel leader Caesar. The real deal!"
Magee pushed up his glasses, a look of impatience on his face.
"The Prince has ordered that he only wants the head of Caesar's daughter."
Erwin wore a fawning smile and nodded repeatedly.
"Yes, yes, of course! Understood!"
Then his expression turned stern, and he gave a soft cough.
At the sound, the warriors and mercenaries surrounding them raised their weapons instantly, their killing intent soaring!
Seeing that Erwin completely disregarded the safety of his "only" child, Muze's eyes nearly split from rage as he roared.
"Erwin!! Don't think I won't do it!!"
With that, he exerted force with his wrist.
The dagger's blade instantly sliced the skin of Fal's neck.
Blood seeped out immediately, just a hair's breadth from the carotid artery!
Fal immediately played along, acting terrified.
He cried out to Erwin for help with a sob in his voice:
"Father! Father, save me! I was wrong!"
"I shouldn't have been blinded by the beauty of this traitor's daughter! I shouldn't have been betrayed and taken hostage by her! I shouldn't have ignored your teachings!"
He confessed with tears and snot running down his face.
"I swear! If you save me, I'll be good and listen to you from now on!"
"I'll do exactly as you arrange and be a law-abiding young master who only knows how to eat, drink, and play! I'll never have any other thoughts again!"
"Father, please, save me!"
Facing his son's "sincere" plea for help, Erwin only let out a cold laugh.
He stroked his graying beard and said slowly.
"Oh, Fal... my dear son..."
His expression suddenly turned dark, his voice like shards of ice.
"From the first moment I found you in the slums, I knew."
"You would be just like your damned Uncle Roger! A traitor among the nobility!"
"For this damned daughter of a rebel, you dared to draw a blade against the father who raised you for years!"
"And that damned Roger, for the sake of his half-demon slave, dared to murder the noble First Prince!"
"He even let go all the high-quality slaves our family had accumulated over a decade."
"He listened to that beggar's words and went to find that Avalon that only exists in fairy tales!"
Clink!
A crisp sound of metal hitting the floor rang out abruptly, interrupting Erwin's heated condemnation.
Erwin paused and looked toward the source of the sound in confusion.
A warrior also knelt down in confusion and picked up a glittering gold coin from the ground.
He looked around and found everyone staring at him.
Swallowing hard, he silently tucked the gold coin into his shirt and retreated back into the formation.
Interrupted like this, Erwin turned back to Fal and sneered.
"My only son? Heh... perhaps before."
He clapped his hands and said loudly.
"Roll, come out. Come say hello to your... 'Brother' Fal. After today, you might not get another chance."
Following his words, a thin, pale young boy walked out from behind the crowd, accompanied by an old butler.
He looked timidly toward Fal.
In an instant, the faces of Muze, Thusa, and the others turned ashen!
Their last bargaining chip was gone!
"You bastard!!" Muze shoved Fal aside and screamed at him.
"Quick! Take Thusa and go!! The rest of you, charge with me! Hold them back! Buy every second you can!!"
He was already prepared to die.
Seeing this, Erwin let out a triumphant and frantic laugh.
"Hahahaha! Want to run? It's too late!!"
He suddenly stood up from the sedan and roared, waving his arm.
"Kill them!! Kill all these rebel pariahs!! Leave none alive!!"
However, his laughter did not last long before he realized with horror...
That the fifteen Transcendent guards and the hundred mercenaries were all completely motionless!
Their gazes were fixed on him with an indescribable terror.
A cold chill instantly shot up from Erwin's tailbone to the top of his head!
From the corner of his eye, he saw... something rolling on the ground.
He stiffly turned his eyes to look.
It was Lord Magee's head, still wearing its gold-rimmed glasses!
The face was frozen in an expression of shock and disbelief!
Erwin's entire body shook violently, his soul nearly leaving his body!
Right then, a cold and sharp dagger pressed against the skin of his neck like a silent viper.
A calm male voice that betrayed no emotion spoke softly in his ear:
"Could you tell me in more detail about the process of your unfilial son going to Avalon?"
"I'm actually quite curious."
Lin Gui kicked the fat Erwin from the side of the sedan chair onto the ground.
He ruthlessly stepped on Erwin's struggling body and accurately and cruelly plunged the dagger into his lower back!
"Argh!" Erwin let out a scream like a pig being slaughtered.
Lin Gui gave a cold warning to the surrounding Transcendent guards who were itching to move.
"Take one more step, and I'll slit his throat."
Without waiting, he pulled the blade out and stabbed it into Erwin's body again.
The placement was tricky, avoiding all vital points while leaving intense pain and causing blood to flow continuously.
Ironically, he had learned this technique from a noble.
Seeing that the guards were wary but still had the intention of surrounding him, Lin Gui understood they had seen through his strength—he was only a Mid-tier High Rank mage.
In their eyes, his strength was truly not worth mentioning.
He smiled.
The edge of the dagger pressed against Erwin's neck, slowly tracing a circle around it.
The icy sensation made Erwin's fleshy body instantly go rigid.
"It seems the people you raise don't understand human speech very well."
Erwin felt the real threat of death and could no longer care about anything else as he shrieked.
"Don't come over!! Listen to him!! Do you want me to die?!!"
The master's fierce roar finally intimidated the guards.
They gritted their teeth and stepped back a few paces, unwillingly.
The mercenaries had already tactfully retreated even further back.
They were only doing this for the money and had no desire to lose their lives.
But the guards were different.
These men had been carefully selected from Gold Rank adventure groups and yearned to join the noble class; they had all signed harsh security agreements with Erwin.
If Erwin was killed right under their noses, they would certainly face a terrible end.
Although Erwin was not a traditional noble, his wealth and influence were enough to put many minor nobles to shame.
"All Transcendent guards and mercenaries, get into the basement."
Lin Gui ordered again, his tone brook no argument.
Seeing Erwin still hesitating, trying to bargain for time, Lin Gui didn't hesitate—a red flash occurred as the dagger plunged into Erwin's body once more!
"The next strike will cut your throat."
Erwin suppressed the intense pain, a fierce look in his eyes.
"Then we might as well die together!"
"Is that so? Then goodbye."
Lin Gui's tone didn't ripple in the slightest.
He gripped the dagger and made to plunge it fiercely into Erwin's neck!
His movement was crisp and decisive, without the slightest hesitation.
"Wait!!"
Erwin broke at the last moment.
He could clearly feel the icy touch of the blade as it brushed against the blood vessels of his neck.
The shadow of death completely enveloped him.
Wasn't this guy afraid the guards would kill him after he died? Erwin was covered in cold sweat, his mind filled with confusion, but he had no time to think.
Under his frantic shouting and orders, all the guards and soldiers finally laid down their weapons.
One after another, they entered the basement entrance.
On the open ground, only Lin Gui, the Erwin he was stepping on, and the shell-shocked group of Fal's people remained.
"Al... alright... I've done as you said..."
Erwin panted heavily, enduring the pain as he tried to negotiate.
"Shouldn't you... shouldn't you let me go now?"
"Don't worry, I swear I won't retaliate! Whatever you've done today, I'll act as if it never happened, how about it?"
Lin Gui continued to step on him, the pressure not easing in the slightest, as he said calmly.
"Don't waste your energy trying to secretly activate the magic items in your robes."
With that, he accurately fished several small magic objects from Erwin's robes.
He tossed them onto the ground, where they made a clear clattering sound.
Lin Gui sneered.
"It seems the wealth of the great merchant Erwin is a bit exaggerated?"
"These magic items haven't even reached the Transcendent rank."
"And they activate so slowly that you need to secretly trigger them by hand?"
Erwin's face turned as pale as paper, his final hope completely shattered.
"What... what exactly do you want?"
"As long as you leave me a way to live, my wealth, my collection—I'll give you whatever you want!"
Lin Gui ignored his testing and pleas, his tone flat but carrying an unquestionable pressure.
"Now, I ask, and you answer. If I find any discrepancy between your words and the information I possess..."
He paused, applying pressure with his foot.
"I will kill you. Of course, if you tell the truth, I will consider letting you go."
"First, tell me in detail about that 'unfilial son' of yours, Roger."
Erwin was stunned; he had guessed countless possible motives for this man—wealth, revenge, or even an assassin sent by another prince.
He had never expected the man to ask about Roger, a name that had almost become a family taboo.
Feeling the blade at his neck draw even closer, Erwin didn't dare to delay and hurriedly spoke.
He talked about the nephew who had caused him both hatred and fear:
"Roger... he... he was out of place from a young age, like an anomaly."
"But his talent in swordsmanship... it was truly staggering."
"He was a famous genius at the knight academy, reaching High-tier Transcendent at only twenty-seven!"
"Everyone said he had the best hope of stepping into Legendary rank and becoming a new pillar of the Royal Capital..."
"Our family also counted on him to lead us and knock on the doors of the true high nobility..."
"He didn't betray those 'expectations'; he perfectly played the role the family and the royalty wanted him to become..."
"He won the extreme appreciation and trust of the First Prince of the time."
"They often went hunting and attended banquets together..."
"The First Prince even intended to marry his most beloved daughter to him—a man who wasn't born into nobility!"
"At that time, Roger was riding high..."
Erwin's tone carried a hint of twisted nostalgia before turning into deep-seated resentment.
"But no one knew! All of it was his disguise!"
"He deceived everyone! His brothers, me, even his own father!"
"He wasn't that person we expected at all!"
"Tell me specifically how he assassinated the First Prince, how he led the slaves out of the Royal Capital, and how he went searching for Avalon."
Lin Gui interrupted his emotional vent and demanded specific details.
Erwin didn't dare hide anything and told the story of the upheaval that had shocked the Royal Capital.
How Roger had suddenly struck when the First Prince trusted him most.
How, using his familiarity with the palace guards, he had led a group of slaves he had already secretly freed and gathered.
How he had broken through layer after layer of blockades to escape the Royal Capital.
And from then on, he set foot on the path to find the illusory "Avalon."
Lin Gui listened and, after a moment of silence, asked.
"Avalon only exists in nursery rhymes and legends. Why was he so certain it had to exist? What was his basis?"
"We... we found it strange as well..." Erwin swallowed.
"We only heard that he often went to the refugee district to talk with a delusional old wanderer..."
"We all thought he had been tricked by that old madman..."
Lin Gui pressed coldly.
"Do you believe that reason yourself? After the incident occurred, did your family not secretly investigate that old wanderer?"
"We didn't dare to investigate!" Erwin's voice sounded like he was about to cry.
"Because of Roger's actions, our family has been constantly suppressed and retaliated against by the faction of the First Prince after his death..."
"My other children... were assassinated one after another in revenge... we could barely protect ourselves, so where would we dare to dig deeper..."
Lin Gui paused for a moment, lifted his head, and looked past Erwin toward Fal, who was watching tensely from a distance, and asked.
"Is everything he's saying true?"
Fal clutched his still-bleeding shoulder.
Seeing his usually arrogant "father" lying on the ground like a dead dog, he swallowed and nodded.
"Yes... actually, almost everyone in the upper circles of the Royal Capital knows about this incident, but out of fear for the royalty's dignity, no one dares to discuss it openly..."
He hesitated for a moment and looked at Lin Gui, as if he had made some kind of decision, before saying through gritted teeth.
"I... I know someone who might know the detailed process of why Uncle Roger insisted on going to Avalon..."
"If I tell you, can you let us leave safely?"
Lin Gui became interested: "Oh? Let's hear it."
Fal took a deep breath and spoke the name:
"The Eldest Princess, Diana Carter... she was Uncle Roger's... ex-girlfriend."
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