Chapter 8: Cutting Down the Rotting Tree
The three walked in the West Suburbs forest for a while and soon found many knights in heavy armor.
Several hours had passed, and the Bison Family had already organized a large number of people to deal with the Beast tide. At this time, they were searching for Alice's whereabouts.
As the second young lady of the Bison Family, Alice had a noble status, and her attack was enough to shake the entire Territory.
The Bison Knight Order and Mage Order were all dispatched, and thousands of people conducted a thorough search in the West Suburbs forest.
Soon, the three were successfully found, and then, surrounded by a host of knights and Mages, Alice safely returned to Baisen Manor.
Dick and Mina, as Alice's saviors, entered the Manor together and enjoyed guest-of-honor treatment.
...
In a luxurious reception room, Mina sat nervously. It was her first time in a noble Manor, and she was afraid of doing something wrong.
Dick was much more relaxed, leaning on the sofa, comfortably crossing his legs, and unceremoniously enjoying the shoulder rubs and leg massages from the maids.
To ease her tension, Mina would pick up the teacup and take a few sips every ten seconds, and the maid serving nearby was very competent, always refilling the tea immediately.
"That's enough, Mina, you've already drunk over a dozen cups of tea."
"But, but they worked so hard to pour the tea, wouldn't it be rude if I didn't drink it..."
Hearing this, Dick waved his hand speechlessly, signaling the maid that there was no need to add more tea.
"Relax, Mina, you are a distinguished guest, and these servants will meet all your needs."
"All needs..."
Mina pursed her lips, looked at the maid next to her, and said with some embarrassment, "Could you please get me two freshly baked black breads, is, is that okay?"
Black bread was the staple food of the poor in the outer city. Although it was black and hard, it was cheap and could be stored for a long time.
Looking at the humble Mina, Dick shook his head and directly ordered the maid next to him in a commanding tone, "Bring two carts of pastries!"
"Do you have any preferences, sir?"
The maid beside him was not surprised but bowed respectfully and asked, with a perfect professional smile on her face.
"Bring one of every variety."
"Okay, please wait a moment."
After the maid left, Mina immediately leaned closer to Dick and whispered, "Two, two carts, we can't possibly eat that much!"
"What are you panicking about? Just take one bite of each kind of bread to taste it. That's what those nobles do."
"Then, then what about the other bread we can't finish? Will it be distributed to the poor, or..."
"They probably just throw it away," Dick said casually, "Nobles have never liked sharing with commoners."
"That's too wasteful!"
Looking at Mina's incredulous expression, Dick just closed his eyes indifferently, turning a deaf ear.
Behind vermilion gates, meat and wine go to waste; on the road, there are bones of people frozen to death.
Having experienced hundreds of rebirths, Dick knew very well that this world was exactly like this.
At first, Dick still adhered to the principle of not wasting, but he soon found it meaningless.
He ate everything cleanly, but those nobles would smell it and throw it away, even though many people in the Territory hadn't eaten for days.
Of course, he could now ask Alice to implement benevolent governance, distribute free bread to the poor, and turn the Baisen Territory into a beautiful utopia.
But after he left, the Baisen Territory would still return to its original state.
Moreover, the world was so vast, far beyond the people of the Baisen Territory. Countless people were starving, could he take care of so many people?
Hundreds of lives, Dick had not tried.
But no matter whether he was an emperor who ruled the world, a religious leader who controlled faith, or a peak expert in humanity, he still couldn't change the fundamental decay!
In this world of swords and magic, the upper and lower classes were already solidified, and the ideology could not be changed.
The strong are always strong, bullying the weak; the weak are always weak, humble and barely surviving.
No matter how hard he tried, the world was still depraved and unbearable. It was like a rotting tree rotten to the root, unable to be healed.
Only by pulling it out directly, replanting, and carefully cultivating it, could he get a healthy, upright tree.
Ten minutes later, two maids pushed in a dining cart.
On it were all kinds of bread, soft, delicious, and fragrant.
Mina learned for the first time that bread could have colors other than black.
Taking a bite, Mina showed a happy smile. The sweetness of the jam bloomed on her tongue, an unprecedented enjoyment.
Looking at Mina who was wolfing down the food, Dick only took a small bite, then asked the maid beside him, "How is the young master?"
"After the efforts of the Healers, the young master's injuries are almost healed. She should be able to attend the dinner tonight..."
Dick was not surprised by the maid's answer, even though Alice was still critically injured not long ago.
Generally speaking, as long as they are not instantly killed, professional Healers can rescue them. The higher the level, the stronger the Healer's ability.
Dick had once become a max-level Healer, with the experience of regenerating from a drop of blood. It was truly hard to die.
But unfortunately, even a max-level Healer could not escape the limitation of lifespan, and as they aged, their strength would also weaken.
...
Meanwhile, in a secret room in Baisen Manor.
"Crash!"
A young woman who looked seven points similar to Alice was very angry. She slammed the expensive teacup onto the ground, her chest heaving violently.
"Damn it, didn't you say Alice was sure to die? But she's almost completely healed now, and she's bound to make trouble for me at the dinner party later!"
Thinking of Alice's vengeful personality, Anne's face quickly filled with unease. She was probably going to have terrible luck soon.
In front of Anne, a handsome man frowned in thought.
His name was Macken, and he was Anne's male favorite.
When he heard that Alice had returned safely to the Manor, Macken was the most shocked. He still couldn't understand the reason for Entis's failure.
This was the Aimiya Empire's best-reputed and most expensive bounty hunter!
Entis's Beast taming magic was superb, coupled with his cautious personality, controlling nearly a thousand Beasts to hunt...
Alice, who was only level 20, didn't die?
And until now, Entis was still completely out of contact. Macken even suspected he was dead.
"No," Anne stood up and pulled Macken's hand, saying, "Let's run away quickly, Alice must already know that I planned it!"
Although Anne was the eldest young lady of the Bison Family, she had mediocre talent and performed far worse than Alice in all aspects, so she was very unpopular.
Hiring a killer this time had almost used up all of Anne's savings, and she had even signed many loan agreements with people.
If she ran away now, she would be penniless and would have to face the double pursuit of creditors and the Bison Family, truly becoming a fugitive on the run.
Macken was unwilling to face a dark future. He didn't like Anne; what he sought was only money and power.
"Young lady, please don't rush. Alice didn't immediately hold you accountable upon her return, which means she lacks evidence..."
Macken believed he had done a clean job of hiring the killer this time. Even if Entis was captured alive, he couldn't expose himself.
"You are her older sister, and the Duke's eldest daughter. Alice can't just kill you without evidence, right?"
However, Macken's analysis did not reassure Anne. She still said fearfully, "Let's, let's still run away. My sister is very scary, she..."
"Run away? That would be equivalent to admitting we are criminals! How would we live the rest of our lives?"
Hearing this, Anne hugged Macken and said tremblingly, "You just need to take care of me. Even if we leave the Bison Family, we will definitely be happy."
Looking at the naive and foolish Anne, Macken secretly felt disgusted. Apart from her looks, this woman was not even fit to carry Alice's shoes in other aspects.
Anne was spoiled and likely wouldn't be able to endure it for even a day or two outside. Macken didn't want to drag a burden.
Originally, Macken wanted to get close to Alice, because everyone knew that Alice would 100% be the future Duke Byson. Following her was definitely the right path.
But unfortunately, Alice was too vigilant. Everyone who approached her with a purpose was seen through, and Macken was no exception.
In desperation, Macken had no choice but to choose Anne, attempting to climb up through her.
"Young lady, stay obediently in the Manor for a while. Alice shouldn't dare to do anything to you, as long as you hold out until the Duke returns."
Listening to Macken's suggestion, Anne nodded and accepted, but the unease in her heart never disappeared.
Although they shared the same father, her sister had been different since childhood. That ruthless ambition like a hero made people tremble.
"Macken, I'm feeling restless, I need your comfort..."
To relieve her anxiety, Anne couldn't help but tug at Macken's belt, her eyes revealing desire.
Seeing this, Macken sighed helplessly. At a time like this, Anne still had such thoughts.
But it didn't matter, Anne was seven points similar to Alice and could be considered a beauty.
Suddenly, the door of the secret room was blasted open by magic, and several Mages in black robes walked in.
Anne and Macken were in the middle of something and were both stunned, only able to put on their clothes in a panic.
"Who are you people? This is my private space, who allowed..."
Before Anne could finish scolding, a scorching fireball shot towards her face, and then, under Macken's astonished gaze, Anne became a headless corpse.
"I, I'm just a male favorite, I don't know anything..."
Macken's words stopped abruptly, and another headless corpse appeared on the floor of the secret room.
The Mages exchanged glances, nodded to each other, and then cast several fire spells to destroy the bodies and evidence.