Chapter 473: Vol7 Ch11: Corpse defeat

“What’s the situation?” when Dolan saw Bastin Faye returning empty handed, he immediately felt uneasy.

Even though nothing was as important as his son, that bone was still something that he spent untold amounts of effort in order to obtain, so he wasn’t willing to simply lose it.

“The thieves have backing, they’re at least the level of first-rate Pugilists, I can’t easily help you in this matter” Bastin Faye told him straight: “Just consider yourself unlucky this time”

After that, Bastin Faye simply left without any further explanations. Originally, it was because Dolan had threatened him with their relationship, and he also wanted more leverage to take control of Dolan that he begrudgingly agreed to help. Now that an unknown entity has gotten involved, this matter can only be left aside.

As for Dolan, other than considering himself unlucky, there was literally nothing else he could do. He didn’t even have the ability to scold Bastin Faye, as he was the weaker side in their relationship.

The other party helping him just once was already a show of their sincerity, any further forceful demands would only result in terrible consequences that he didn’t want.

Dolan’s expression wasn’t great, but he just heaved a long sigh. Regardless of what happened, everything was fine as long as his little Parry returned to him, things like talent and potential can be considered later on, even if all the resources and effort he spent earlier on the bone had gone to waste.

…

Catho opened the door to the underground secret room and touched his face. He could feel the buds of flesh moving on his skin, his blood that was now filled with vitality once again circulated throughout his entire body, making it seem like he was no longer a dead person.

He fell to his knees and covered his mouth, madly grinning trying to hold back his laughter. His facial expression was horribly distorted.

I’ve done it, I managed to obtain the Spring of Life from them and become a pseudo Ghostman.

After this, I only need to find a suitable secondary soul and I’ll become a true Ghostman, directly wielding supernatural powers.

During the Age of Metal, even though the foundational technique for supernatural powers had become commonplace, there are still very few who could actually wield them.

A Pugilist who wielded supernatural powers would receive partial treatment and privileges equivalent to an aristocrat no matter where they were, although this treatment wasn’t hereditary and they wouldn’t be granted any land.

Most people can only reach the level of training their bodies, they don’t have the resources to change out their blood, so even though many people were practicing [Bone Forge Art], very few of them could advance any further.

After his hysterical fit of laughter was over, Catho wiped the tears from his eyes and turned towards the trunk in the corner. Some traces of limestone powder could be seen around the edges, together with a faint rancid smell.

Catho stood up and opened the door of the secret room, picking up the trunk, he thought briefly before putting a letter on it.

…

“The city lord is coming…”

“What now?’

“City lord, sir…”

The commotion around him caused Dolan to feel a bit detached from reality. When his butler ran in to report the news, he could already guess by the look on his face.

But even now, he couldn’t comprehend that this was the truth, it was as if everything had become unreal.

He was clearly still showing off his achievements to me just a few days ago, so why did it turn out like this?

The group silently parted ways for Dolan to see the small trunk in front of him. A purplish bruised small face drained of any blood was silently lying within a mass of limestone powder.

Dolan’s legs lost all of their strength, he fell on his knees, practically screaming out loud: “That can’t be my son, my little Parry still isn’t dead, he can’t be dead”

“How could he be dead!”

Dolan was completely broken, no longer paying attention to his pride or dignity as the city lord or an aristocrat.

Even though he was denying that this dead body was his son with all his might, Dolan couldn’t help but slowly crawl in front of the wooden trunk. As he pulled the small boy’s body out of the trunk, his rationality rapidly plummeted, repeating over and over to himself that this couldn’t be true.

His motivation, his faith, the very pillar for his life up to his point had completely collapsed, he was only a hair’s breadth away from going insane.

In the room above, Bastin Faye frowned. Dolan as a person had already been completely broken, so his plan would have to be changed as well.

…

Dolan didn’t know when he returned to the city lord’s manor, nor who brought him back, but the small boy’s dead body had remained in his embrace this entire time.

It wasn’t until that night that Dolan regained his senses. His expression was exceptionally calm, or rather, terrifying calm.

He could clearly feel himself calmer than ever before. He had already read the letter in the wooden trunk as well, which explained in simple words that they were sorry and that Parry had already suffocated to death when he was being carried away by the sewage water.

“So this is karma?” Dolan once again recalled the small child’s body in the Eskin manor.

For the sake of his goal, he had massacred everyone in the Eskin family, leaving only Aureum remaining who somehow survived.

But the only thing he got out of it was the terrible death of his own son as well.

“If this was karma, then let’s have things become even more insane” Dolan stood back up. His body was already ruined from the years of toil, he could no longer have a second son, so the Ashius family was already done for, he had no other heir.

“I might as well lose everything else as well” Dolan turned to the butler and said, the calm but desperate look in his eyes caused the butler to tremble.

“Order the men around the Eskin manor to do it, my son is dead but he’s still alive, that simply isn’t right”

Dolan stood up and lightly stroked the dead boy’s head in an incredibly gentle manner. Even the tone of his voice was the same, giving off a terrifying sense of gentleness.

“Understood, sir” the butler hurriedly responded while also sighing in relief.

Turning his rage to an underserved party was a normal reaction at times like this, so as long as he has relieved his rage, lord Dolan should return to normal.

However, Dolan’s next statement caused the butler to freeze up completely: “Furthermore, little Parry liked to make merry, we should send a few more people down with him”

He continued to keep the body in his embrace and walked to the highest floor of the city lord manor to look down towards this border town. In his vision, he could see numerous people walking through the streets, some of which were little children playing with one another.

Dolan turned to the butler and said: “My son is already dead, so why do they get to live?”

“Mi-milord…” the butler was trembling.

“Order some men to do it. There are always reckless idiots willing to risk their lives for money, let alone something of this level. Weren’t those thieves also the same? The Ashius family is already done for”

“Understood, milord” the butler trembled as he dismissed himself. He didn’t know what the city lord would do if he had refused, so he didn’t have the courage to refuse.

There are always reckless people who want to become Pugilists and would not stop at anything to earn resources for this goal. It wasn’t difficult to massacre a bunch of children, as long as they remain wary of any revenge that comes afterwards.

They’re already used to it, just change their identity after getting these resources and flee to another city, they would still be able to live perfectly well. And for border cities like these, such dark people were a dime a dozen.

Negary and Lan Shan were both standing behind Dolan, but the other party couldn’t see them at all. He also had no strong emotions towards this city-wide massacre one way or another.

There had always been people who die in this city every day, no one would obtain any salvation, as the only one who could save them had always been themselves.