Chapter 381: Chapter 380: Very Strangers

The funeral at White Stone Tower hadn’t ended long before Richard left, his mood somber.

His mood had to be somber, as earlier that day, first the Golden Mask had died–most likely dead, and then Macbeth–definitely dead. With continuous deaths, it was impossible to predict who would die next. How could his mood be anything but downcast?

With this heaviness in his heart, Richard called for a carriage and headed to the mansion of the Great Scholar Socrates.

By the time he arrived, night had fallen, and the rain had lessened but continued to patter against him, feeling somewhat chilly.

Richard straightened his clothing, hopped off the carriage, and strode toward the grand gate of Great Scholar Socrates’s mansion, preparing to knock and explain his visit. He wondered whether such a late visit would be rejected.

Just as he reached this thought, as his hand touched the gate, it creaked open with a squeal.

Richard looked into the courtyard with mild surprise, greeted by an eerie silence reminiscent of a haunted house. A strange odor wafted through the air, faint and peculiar. He took a deep sniff; it smelled like blood.

Richard’s eyebrows shot up, and his muscles tensed instantly, sensing danger.

Inhaling deeply, Richard scanned the darkness, his mind racing. What had happened here? Had the Great Scholar incited revenge upon himself, or could it be…

As he pondered the possibilities, Richard cast “Shadow Cloak” to mask his presence, moving stealthily deeper into the yard.

In various corners of the yard, Richard discovered several bodies–servants he had seen before at the Great Scholar Socrates’s residence. They had been killed by shattering internal organs.

If he wasn’t wrong, these servants had died instantly during the attack without showcasing any injuries, as if asleep. It was only much later that something seemed amiss as blood with internal organ fragments oozed from orifices–a sign of a master assassin. Of course, to Richard, it seemed more like the work of magic.

A wizard?!

With this thought, Richard became more vigilant and moved even more carefully. He then crossed the garden, entered the house, and familiarly found himself outside the door to the Great Scholar’s study.

“If the Great Scholar is still alive, he’s most likely here. If he’s dead, he’s probably here as well,” Richard thought, gingerly pushing open the door.

In the instant the door swung open, Richard’s eyes rapidly took in all the details of the study, narrowing sharply.

He saw the Great Scholar’s granddaughter–the Cat Slave Girl, Heidi–lying unconscious and limp on the floor, while the Great Scholar himself sat in a chair, his complexion ashen. Behind the Great Scholar stood a disheveled man in blue noble attire, his eyes red with veins, holding a dagger to the Great Scholar’s neck.

As the door creaked open and Richard appeared, the man in blue looked somewhat taken aback, while a glimmer of something called hope burst forth from the Great Scholar’s eyes as he mustered all his strength to cry out, “Richard, quickly take Heidi and go…”

The next moment, the voice of Great Scholar Socrates was abruptly cut off as the man in blue swiftly drew the dagger across Socrates’s throat and yanked upwards, cleanly severing the head from the body. The cut was eerily smooth, with all blood vessels sealed by some bizarre power, and no blood gushed forth.

The man in blue casually placed Socrates’s head on the desk like a trophy, glanced at the unconscious Heidi on the ground, and softly said to Richard, “You won’t be taking her with you.”

“Uh…” Richard uttered, asking, “What about me leaving on my own?”

“That is unlikely as well,” said the man in blue. “I’m not sure how you sneaked in here, but I’m sorry, now that you’re here, you’ll have to stay.”

“Will it be the same way as those who died outside?”

“If you have any special requests, I’m willing to accommodate within reason.”

“Mm…”

Richard responded, eyeing the man in blue as his eyes narrowed to slits, realizing something–the man in blue was likely not just an ordinary person. He might be part of the Mysterious Organization behind Suo Men and Mu Konni, perhaps even more powerful than they were. This was not a situation to be taken lightly.

Then, how did Great Scholar Socrates provoke such a person?

Was Socrates’s identity truly unique as Richard suspected, making him a target?

Or could it be…

Richard’s eyes flickered…

…

Time moved forward a bit.

“Swish, swish…”

The rain continued to fall, and the Great Scholar Socrates was in his study working on something. A large number of books were open and strewn across the desk as he constantly consulted them. At that moment, a faint knocking sound came from outside, persistent and unending.

“Bang, bang, bang! Bang, bang, bang!”

The knocking went on for a while without stopping. Irritated, Great Scholar Socrates called out to the hallway, “Philic, go see what’s going on!”

Having said this, Socrates received no answer.

“Hmm?” Socrates furrowed his brows and called out to the other servants, “Mukula? Hassak? Ross…”

After shouting for a long while without hearing any response, in the end, it was only his granddaughter Heidi, holding a cat that meowed in her arms, who ran into the study and asked, “Grandfather, is something wrong? I heard you calling for the others, have they…”

“Oh, it’s nothing.” Socrates waved his hand dismissively at Heidi, “Just take care of your cat, don’t let it go hungry. Don’t worry about anything else.”

“Oh.” Heidi nodded, hugging the cat and quickly running out.

Once Heidi left the study, Socrates’s expression instantly darkened, his brow deeply furrowed in an ugly frown. He could clearly hear the knocking continuing outside, incessant.

“Whew–”

Socrates took a deep breath, stood up, and left the study. Outside the study, he caught a glimpse of his granddaughter Heidi chasing after her mischievous cat as it ran out.

“Heidi, take your cat to the kitchen and shut the door,” Socrates said, “It’s safer there…”

“Hmm? What is it, Grandfather? Why go to the kitchen?”

“Oh, go to the kitchen and help me boil some water for tea; we might have a visitor.” Socrates quickly changed his response.

“Oh, is that so.”

“Go on then, take your cat with you, and make sure to shut the door tightly so it doesn’t run off,” Socrates said.

“Oh, okay.” Heidi replied obediently, grabbing the mischievous cat and scooping up a few more, then she carried them towards the kitchen.

Socrates withdrew his gaze, steadied himself, and walked slowly out of the house toward the courtyard gate.

When he reached the gate, Socrates asked the person knocking outside through the gate, “Who is it?”

“A stranger visiting.”

“Do you need something?”

“I do.”

“Can it wait until tomorrow?”

“I have limited time; I would like to talk to you tonight, respected Council Master–Mr. Socrates.”

Hearing this, Socrates’s eyes narrowed, and he fell silent. The next moment, he reached out and opened the door, revealing the figure standing outside.

He saw a man wearing a wrinkled blue noble’s costume, his eyes red and bloodshot, looking somewhat unkempt, and… somewhat dangerous.

The Steward for the Supreme Order Divine Society of the East Coast, Ji Burlen!