Author: 冬瓜茶仙人 / Winter Melon Tea Immortal
Translator: Kinky || https://kinkytranslations.com/
Chapter 174
“When we arrived at 53 Evergreen Street, they were already gone. The house and garden had residual magical fluctuations and signs of battle, but there was no blood.”
As the two dispatched teams reported to Khalif, the host on stage was passionately introducing the skeleton of the last volcanic winged bird. This creature was extinct, and using its bones to forge armor could resist high temperatures. The famous weapon master Silute from the Pennigra continent once used this material, combined with mermaid skin, to make a coat that could withstand both scorching caves and deep-sea pressure. However, it was so luxurious and precious that its owner only displayed it as a collectible, never giving it to any warrior.
Khalif stared silently at team leader Kate until sweat began to form on his vest, then only said, “Continue.”
The implication was that he didn’t accept a report ending in such incompetent failure.
Kate cautiously said, “But Miss Prima did stay in that house. Our tracking team has already taken action. The side that caused the battle traces is concerning. They almost erased all evidence, but perhaps due to our arrival, they left some things behind in a hurry.”
He handed over a sealed open-top glass jar containing a few pieces of light green wallpaper, which seemed corroded, turning most parts into an ugly scorched yellow. Khalif was almost sure that if he opened the jar, he would smell the strange odor from the wallpaper.
Khalif recognized this as invasive magic. The caster could silently pollute the entire house without physically entering it, making everyone inside inexplicably fall unconscious and lose the ability to resist, especially houses without blessing objects, which were like open doors to such magic.
Most guest houses in the inner city lacked blessing objects, as the Wolf Family didn’t have a tradition of studying magic. The convenience this loophole offered was self-evident.
The glass jar in Khalif’s hand shattered without warning. The wallpaper and fragments fell at his feet, immediately crushed into powder.
“Where is Xanye?” He squeezed out a few words from his lips.
The attendant beside him dared not speak—since Khalif had asked Xanye to arrange another search spell, she hadn’t returned.
He had also heard Kate’s report. Anyone with a brain could figure out who had targeted Miss Prima before them, but the report came too late. The woman had already left the private room.
Though two Wolf guards followed her, Xanye was a formidable mage. Usually, Khalif’s men shadowed her with half-hearted consent. If she truly decided to turn against them, two warriors might not be able to handle her tricks.
Khalif also realized this. He had completely lost interest in the auction at the center of the venue.
“Get Azman over here.” Khalif ordered, stepping over the small pile of debris at his feet without looking back. “The rest of you, follow me.”
Kate asked, “Should we search the venue for Xanye’s whereabouts?” Guards were stationed at all exits, and there were at least a few hundred guests in the building tonight. The woman might be hiding among them, given she was a master of disguise.
Khalif had just stepped out the door. Upon hearing this, he turned sharply, glaring at Kate with a nearly ferocious expression. “Your top priority is to find Prima. I want you to bring my daughter home safely. If she sheds even a drop of blood, everyone will die!”
Everyone present shuddered internally because Khalif’s eyes were deadly serious. The attendants quickly exchanged glances but then restrained themselves, silently following Khalif down the corridor.
They had served Khalif for a long time. Although Prima was indeed more pampered than his other children, Khalif had never lost his composure over her before, not even leaving such an important event early for her sake—pardon the blasphemous thought, but it was the truth.
The Wolf King should always prioritize the family’s interests, willing to sacrifice anything, including himself, for the collective.
Burning with anger, Khalif paid no attention to his subordinates’ thoughts. He walked so forcefully that his steps thudded on the thickly carpeted floor. Nearing the staircase, his heavy steps even kicked up a small puff of dust—something was off! Such a meticulously arranged and luxurious auction house shouldn’t have this much dust.
There was a flash of cold light, and the attendant two steps behind Khalif had already drawn his sword. The sword in his companion’s hand, who was one step ahead of him, wasn’t stained with blood. His speed was too fast. A decapitated black snake still writhed futilely at his feet. As he bent to lift the snake’s body, Kate, at the rear, issued a warning. Another snake, hidden under the carpet, sprang out, leaping as high as a person and aimed directly at Khalif’s face.
Khalif was prepared, raising his arm to block. The black snake bit his arm, its fangs sinking into the bracer hidden under his coat. An attendant grabbed the snake’s head, pulling it from Khalif’s arm, but the glossy black body tightly coiled around it.
“Poisonous,” Kate noted, examining the snake’s fangs. This snake was also quickly severed in two.
Khalif was always accompanied by no fewer than four guards, making it difficult for such tricks to cause fatal harm, though they were quite effective in disrupting his mood, Kate thought.
They didn’t leave through the main entrance. The internal passage was chaotic, with people constantly running around delivering items. The hallway was cluttered with temporary stacks of things. Khalif kicked an empty crate out of the way, the flying lid hitting a man bending over to lift something, who cried out, his mouth quickly covered.
Khalif didn’t spare him a glance. A carriage was already waiting at the exit, but as he descended the steps, thunderous sounds suddenly erupted nearby, shaking the entire building. The air froze for two seconds, followed by three more loud booms, as if someone had ignited giant fireworks on the venue stage.
The walls trembled—not just from the noise but also the cacophony of voices resonating with them. Hundreds of people screaming, discussing, and inquiring created a maddening buzz, spreading panic.
“Every floor has guards!” Kate had to shout. “They’re at their posts!”
Khalif paused for a few seconds without turning back. As he descended the three steps, a deep voice echoed from the corridor behind him. “Don’t move.”
Most people froze because the voice was loud and ethereal, its source unclear but crystal clear in the air.
“Don’t move.” The voice repeated. Khalif and his group, now at the venue’s edge, still sensed the crowd’s noise gradually quieting.
“I am the Great King of Terror, summoned by your greed, desire, and jealousy—” After several seconds, the voice spoke in an unusually slow, otherworldly tone.
Khalif listened briefly, then sneered, stepping onto the carriage. His movement snapped the coachman out of his stupor, hastily opening the door for him.
His attendants and Kate didn’t share the coachman’s dumbfounded expression but were solemn, realizing this was no planned entertainment. The voice indicated someone was sabotaging the auction.
But Khalif remained unmoved. Kate stood still, watching Khalif and his attendants board the carriage and leave without hesitation, feeling conflicted. Only then could his team approach, surrounding him.
“Is something happening inside? Should we go in to assist?” a man asked. While they spoke, security team members stationed at all entrances hurriedly headed inside. Regardless of the voice’s origin, it could cause panic among the finely dressed but unarmed guests. If not promptly controlled, a stampede could easily occur—even with wide corridors and staircases, the women in skirts and high heels were prone to falling.
As if confirming their concerns, a few guests had already fled in disarray, suggesting the saboteur’s limited numbers, unable to control the exits, allowing unarmed individuals to escape easily.
“No, we’re leaving,” Kate said sternly. “Miss Prima is in trouble, and Lord Khalif requires us to find her.”
……
“Great King of Terror?” Dwight mouthed to Charlie as they ran across the street. Charlie, also running fast, had to hold onto his hat to prevent it from blowing away, shrugging in response.
“I knew you’d criticize that. I only provided the voice transmission device. Shiloh wrote the script,” Charlie glanced back, noting Hasting silently following, while further back, people in similar colors to the original guards were entering, appearing like security team members but actually not.
“Horses,” Hasting timely reminded. They sharply turned, with Hasting forcefully opening a bakery door to retrieve three horses.
The move was unusual, but with the Great King of Terror ahead, the Duke decided to keep quiet.
“Are you sure Louis will wait for Khalif at his mansion?” Dwight asked suspiciously. “Did he tell you in advance, or is it twin telepathy?”
“It’s based on mutual understanding and reasoning.” Charlie mounted his horse. They didn’t depart immediately but waited a moment to avoid being noticed by Khalif. As Charlie leaned forward to speak, a small gray bird crashed into his arms.
The bird, probably unable to brake in time, stunned itself. Charlie picked it up with two fingers, and it transformed back into a palm-sized letter.
“It’s from Shivers. He lost contact with Erica and can’t find them.” Charlie quickly read the letter, handed it to Dwight, then, with a conflicted furry face, pulled the reins, redirecting the horse’s head.
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