That red mark…
Bain's eyes glowed with a fiery light.
The thin piece of paper was sticking out from underneath several books. He could see particular characters and symbols that, wouldn't you know it, belonged to none other than the Absolutes!
Them again? Bain's interest was more than piqued.
What did they want from the Silver-haired man? Though the man looked trustworthy, the Absolute court was another matter.
Bain carefully moved his hands, still keeping his head stiffly facing the man.
Could he do it? Would he eventually succeed?
~Tack. Tack. Tack. Tack.
The flames once again danced underneath the heated pot.
The space was obviously hot. But when the Silver-haired man spoke, it suddenly grew heavy and frosty.
"Mainland 01… Violence, murder, chaos, and freedom to do whatever criminals want… That's what you ordinary folks think. However, you're all forgetting one simple fact. Even in Hell itself, there are rules."
~Pang!
The Silver-haired man swung his blade once more, giving the illusion he was slaughtering an enemy.
Got it!
Bain finally got the document.
However, he was still curious about his words.
.
"Here, you need to know there are 4 main leading powers that stand above the masses. Their brutality is like no other… They worked themselves to the top, dominating the land and having a force that even those outside the mainland dare not mess with."
The Silver-haired man's face remained expressionless amid Bain's heightened curiosity.
"We in the Mainland call them the 4 Monarchs… There's the Emperor of Spades, Mr. Wang… He dominates over 90% of the Mainland's eastern part, with more men under his wing than you can imagine."
90% of the Eastern regions?
"Kid… Just remember that if you ever see a dark-haired man with an overly large X-cross mark on his forehead, you'd better run as far and as fast as you can. This deadly man is not known for his mercy. Remember that."
Bain repeated his words severally, wanting to burn the information deep in his heart.
Emperor of Spades, Eastern Mainland, Mr. Wang… He didn't think he would be forgetting him soon.
Tilting his head, he gave the Silver-haired man an inquisitive stare. "What about the others?"
"The others?" The silver-haired man cleared the cut-off wheat heads on his table.
"Since you're in these parts, I suggest you also look out for the one they call the Empress of Diamonds... Miss Cecilia Von Fausta the 3rd."
Bain was taken aback. Her name also showed that she shouldn't be someone from his Oven country.
A foreigner? He wasn't too surprised since Mainland 01 housed criminals from every part of the world.
This place should be the most diverse in all of Blue Sails.
.
The more Bain heard, the more amazed he was.
According to the Silver-haired man's words, Cecilia came from a very prestigious home, and her training is like no other.
As for why she got into this place, many think it's because of some noble family scheme that sent her here for life, thinking she wouldn't be able to survive for long.
However, they underestimated her.
30 years ago, she arrived in this hell hole with 15 of her sworn guards. And barely 3 years after her arrival, she successfully killed the former Emperor of Diamonds, claiming the title for herself.
Now she runs 85% of all Western islands and territories.
They say she was even more brutal than Mr. Wang.
Fiery red long hair, always dressed in black or white... This Miss Cecilia wasn't easy to mess with.
As for the other 2 Monarchs…
~Fhee~
The pot began to whistle, cutting the Silver-haired man's sage words and advice short.
"I know you're hungry... Lunch will soon be ready."
"Oh…" Bain replied in a daze, still processing all he heard.
4 Monarchs? Emperor of Spades? Emperor of Diamonds?... Weren't those card suits?
Bain had a hunch the other Monarchs should be the Emperor of Clubs and the Emperor of Hearts.
With Mr. Wang and Miss Cecilia in the East and West, these two should be controlling mist territories in the North and South.
However, the Silver-haired man said they controlled most territories, not all... So didn't this mean that some territories were neutral zones? Or were they just deemed worthless and a waste of time?
More importantly, the place he descended into... was it a neutral zone or one overrun by these monarchs?
Seeing as the Silver-haired man spoke more about Miss Cecilia, could it be he was on one of her territories?
.
Bain knew there was so much he had to learn. However, he first had to determine his situation.
The Silver-haired man had his back facing him, focused on the boiling pot.
Good.
Seeing the coast clear, Bain lifted his blanket.
[Sentence Completed!]
Those were the first words to grab his attention.
So that's it!
Bain felt a little relieved.
The Silver-haired man had completed his 130-year sentence. This was just a letter confirming he could leave anytime he chose.
But according to the date on the letter, he was free to go 56 years ago. Yet he chose to stay in his dangerous place instead. Why?
Bain was about to wrack his brain for more clues when the man's cold voice bellowed.
"Find it interesting?"
Ah-
Like a cat dropped in water, Bain jerked anxiously after realizing he was caught.
"I'm… I'm sorry. I didn't mean to be nosy." He tried to explain, watching the Silver-haired man take the letter away.
"It's fine. I always put this away because it brings out painful memories."
Sigh…
The Silver-haired man sighed, sitting beside the table with a stoic expression. However, his eyes told a sad narrative.
"Kid... Would you like to listen to my story?"
…
Bain listened attentively.The silver-haired man referred to himself as Ryu.From his tale, he used to be an ordinary worker, that is until his newly wedded wife betrayed him. And the finishing blow that broke him was when she married another, bringing her lover and her greedy family into the house.Yes… Her lover was with his good friend.Ultimately, the woman managed to secure all his savings and all he had ever worked for.They say revenge was a painful dish served best when cold. But in his case, he decided to turn up the heat on his betrayers.He drugged them, tied them together in the basement, waited for them to wake, and gave them a piece of his mind before setting up a gimmick designed to blow the house up 10 minutes later.Sadly, because the buildings on his street were built too close to each other, his revenge act led to the burning of 2 neighboring homes.It resulted in the death of a neighbor's newly born children and the death of another neighbor's son playing in a room
It was a trap!... It was all set up!But why? Why had Ryu kept him alive rather than killing him previously?Bain felt his chest rise and fail speedily. But despite the pain, he knew the first principle of escaping was to do it as quickly as possible.The longer he remained in the enemy's control, the less likely his chances were of fleeing.His body was on fire, with a gushing wave of dizziness slowly eroding his consciousness.No!'I can't afford to fall asleep. Before my body gives way, I must take Ryu down.'Get up!Bain stabilized his staggering body, putting off a defensive stance. Seeing this, Ryu, who had always been calm and collected, burst out in cruel laughter."Boy!... If you think you can escape, you're much more foolish than I thought." Silver-hair Ryu smiled, reaching for his inner chest pocket with a sly smile on his face."Now, now, little one… Since you're new here, you probably haven't heard of me much. Some call me the silver Mad Hatter, others the Silver Maniac…
Judging from the boy's stance, a single blow from him should send the boy fast asleep. Good boy… Ryu maniacally inched closer with the syringe, not taking Bain seriously. But then, something happened. What?!!! Ryu crossed his hands against his chest in defense. But it was already too late. Boom! He smashed into the fireplace, burning his ass on the fire below and having the boiling hot broth pour on his body. Part of Ryu's face was burnt to a peel, with his mouth oozing blood. This… This can't be! He recognized the force that pushed him back. The boy… The boy was an enhancer! But the boy had no weapon on him. So how could he release enhanced powers? Wait! Ryu's eyes darted about in transfixed shock. The boy didn't need a weapon… His body was the weapon! Terrible! Terrible! Ryu squirmed amid his pain but soon revealed an excited smile. Hahahahahaha~ It must be the world's will for him to run across such a perfect subject. So how could he let him go? Pain? What pain? R
-Heart Headquarters, Arrow City, Southern Territories, Mainland 01-.In a vast and grand room, several men stood motionless. Some wore suits and others loose shirts. They formed straight lines along the path, creating a wide space between them.~Bam!A bloodied figure plunged into the room, falling on his nose in anguish.Following him were 2 other men; one wearing a suit with an emotionless face, and another wearing a red open-buttoned flowery shirt, having a playful and silly expression on his face.But don't let his friendly smile fool you. This man was colder than the freezing seas of Gantia."Owww~... A buddy, I think we broke your nose." The playful man commented, putting his hands in his pockets and kicking the bloodied man in the butt."Claus… That's enough." A deep voice from ahead echoed, and the playful man restrained himself.He was loyal and completely obedient to his leader!'I don't want to die. I don't want to die.'The bloodied man didn't care about his injuries, gro
James' heart sped up, seeing those mysterious eyes flash his way. And before he knew it, he was stuttering."I, I, I, I….""Mr. James…" The cold voice ahead called slowly, yet it made James' clothes feel damp with sweat.The figure unhurriedly stood, revealing himself into the light.Inky dark hair, raven eyes, and a face christened by the gods, the man was indeed good-looking. But James had no time to admire his beauty.His eyes were dark and deep like an abyss, drawing those who stared to fall into its bottomless pit.~Bam!James didn't see the kick coming."Ahhhh~... Ugh-Ugh"Son of a b**tch!His nose was all broken!James inwardly cursed from habit, controlling himself from cursing loudly. Did he dare? Of course he didn't. His fear for Mr. Hearts kept his lips sealed.And while he was rolling and holding his nose in anguish, Elric placed one hand in his pocket, taking and releasing a thick fog of smoke from his massive cigar."Mr. James… we didn't bring you here to listen to your
Gasp!Bain woke, panting heavily with vigilant eyes.The room was still a mess, with the table flipped, books scattered, tools displaced, and everywhere looking like a wind storm had flown by.Speaking of his body, he no longer felt any burning pains from before."I was right. Those pills did the trick." He murmured.His muscles had recovered, and now, he was in his best state.Thankfully, because he slept pre-battle, his body didn't feel like sleeping for long this time.Looking at how high the sun was, as well as the shadow it casted on the objects outside the small square-shaped window, Bain knew he had slept for no more than 2 hours.It should be 4:20 P.M by now.'I must leave this place before someone discovers Ryu's disappearance.'But first, he had to burn the place down.Towards the door were 2 baskets of neatly cleaned clothes now scattered and pushed aside.Bain's eyes lit up enthusiastically.Perfect!Bain quickly rummaged through the pile, setting his sights on the pair of
"Dammit! Barman! Where's my f**king beer?""Shut your damn piehole already. Beer, beer, beer. Here's your damn beer!""Hahahaha~ Old Toothless… I didn't think the operation would go that smoothly.F**k yeah! We're all rich, stinking rich!""Have, have you heard, the old called the Venomous Queen is on the loose with her gang of Butterfly bandits again.""True or false?""True! I tell you, those ladies sure pack a mean punch. Best not to anger them.""Bahahahaha~... Are you serious? Is the famous La Diva performing tonight at Fantasy house? Great! Just great! This time, I must watch her show!"…Within the massive space were all sorts of drunken bandits, goons, and thugs seated about with countless bottles scattered across their tables.Some were sleeping in a drunken state with one hand on their weapons. When you live here long enough, your weapon becomes an additional limb, always ready to take a life.The room was smoky, with countless people having cigarettes in their mouths. Some
Bain reached for the blades underneath his pillow, caution flashing through his eyes.He was about to move closer to the wall and stick his ears to listen in. But before he could get out of bed, a rain of bullets flooded the wall.Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!Bain rolled to the other side of his bed, quickly covered. From the booming sounds, it's clear the bullets were a mix of all sorts.The walls had holes of many sizes, some the size of 2 fingers joined together. The bullet flashes from the room fired were not the only things that peered through these holes."Quickly! Shoot the couch! He's behind it!!!""Hahahahahaha~... Bastard! Do you dare to steal from the snake gang? This is what you get!""Ahhhh!!---... It was a trap! He was behind the bedpost all along! Quickly, take cover!""Rooney! Rooney's down!... Mark too! Hyu Jin!...""Dammit! What the f***k are you little girls doing? You claim to be men, yet you can't even shoot the little punk down? My niece can shoot better than you!""B