Steel, gunpowder, and spellcasters

Chapter 66 Daggers, Steel Spikes, and Spring Guns
After climbing out of the window, Winters nimbly scaled the roof.

During the Sovereign War, the area where Major Moritz now resides was used to house noble families who fled from the United Province [the Duchy of the Piedmont] to Veneta.

At that time, the provincial militia had openly raised the flag of rebellion, but the flames of rebellion did not reach Venetta. In name, autonomous cities such as Blue City and Flower City remained the direct territories of the royal family.

The astute Venetian merchants spotted an opportunity: even as refugees, nobles still desired more respectable housing.

So they built rows of these stone houses in this area.

Ingenious businessmen built these houses two stories high, with one building right next to the other, sharing a wall between them. This double-story, side-by-side design saved materials and made the most of the land.

Although the houses next to each other are not very respectable, at least they have roofs, four walls, and are made of stone. Most importantly, they are much cheaper than detached stone houses.

The idea was a great success, with the fleeing nobles eagerly pulling out the only gold coins they had brought from the United Provinces. Rows of stone houses sprang up in the neighborhood like mushrooms after rain, and some penniless nobles even began hiring people to build houses of this style themselves.

The buildings in Benway's district also used the same design concept. However, the noble refugees had some money, so they used stone. The common people who fled were penniless, so the dockworkers' quarters were mainly made of wood.

The houses were connected, and so were the roofs. Although later residents made some alterations to their roofs, it did not hinder the agile Winters.

At this moment, Winters moved silently across the rooftops like a black cat. Two night watchmen walked along the street with lanterns, unaware that a dark figure was leaping across the gap between two rows of houses on the rooftops.

Winters quickly traversed the entire city and arrived at his destination.

This is a typical house found everywhere in this city, with an ordinary design. The doors and windows on the first floor are tightly closed, while a few rays of light shine through the windows on the second floor. It looks like an ordinary family home, with nothing particularly special about it.

Winters used the moonlight to check the features of the house and the surrounding houses. After confirming that he had not made a mistake, he took out the spring-loaded gun from its holster, sprinkled gunpowder on the ignition point, and flipped the flint and steel onto the friction plate.

The gun is now ready to fire.

Unlike ordinary wheel guns—Henry III's gunsmiths were indeed the royal gunsmiths—this musket had an ingenious design: a small cover on the flintlock hole that was linked to the trigger.

This cover will only open when the trigger is pulled, allowing the gunpowder inside the barrel to ignite, greatly reducing the risk of accidental discharge.

At this moment, Winters could only believe that the design was effective, and he put the spring-loaded gun, which could be fired at any time, back into its holster.

This gun was his last resort; he didn't want to use this "loud-mouthed" weapon unless absolutely necessary.

——Cut——

Two days earlier, when Winters followed Antonio home from the Parliament building.

“Chase after him and find out who he is. If he’s just a beggar, give him some money. Tell him not to come near our house again,” Antonio said, pointing to the little beggar’s retreating figure.

Winters nodded and spurred Strong to give chase.

He hadn't run far when Winters caught up with the little beggar. Winters blocked his way, and the little beggar didn't turn back to run; instead, he stopped and stared blankly at Winters.

"Why are you running?" Winters dismounted, leaned on his sword hilt, approached the little beggar, and demanded sharply.

Unexpectedly, the little beggar's nose tingled, and he burst into tears, hugging Winters tightly: "Brother, please save my older brother..."

Winters instinctively wanted to dodge, but upon hearing the voice, he froze, letting the little beggar hug him. Although the boy was beginning to go through puberty, Winters couldn't be mistaken for someone else.

Winters took out a handkerchief and wiped the little beggar's face: "Are you Benway's brother? Are you the third child?"

The little beggar nodded.

“What happened to your brother? Tell me slowly…” Winters pulled Benway’s third brother to a secluded spot on a back street.

While attending Army Junior School, Winters often went to play with Benway. Benway was the eldest son, with several younger brothers and sisters. At that time, Winters and Benway were only about the same age as Benway's third brother, and Benway's younger brothers liked to follow behind the two older children like tails. Benway's second and third brothers both called Winters "brother".

“The Monta people came looking for us last night…” Benway’s third brother sobbed, using gestures to explain what had happened to Winters. Although the child was young and spoke haltingly between sobs, his thoughts were clear and coherent, and Winters quickly understood what had occurred.

Last night, a group of people broke into the farmhouse where Benwei was hiding. After a struggle, they kidnapped Benwei and his younger brother, and severely beat the homeowner.

Benway's younger brother lived with the homeowner's son, and the homeowner escaped a disaster by lying and claiming that Benway's younger brother was his own son.

"And then?" Winters tried to control his breathing, a voice in his head screaming: The Monta people found Benway by following you!

Benwei's third brother, who had already stopped crying, suddenly burst into tears again: "Then my second brother died."

The group that kidnapped Benwei quickly got into a carriage and left the farm. Benwei's third brother immediately chased after them and caught up with them.

Unexpectedly, the two carriages stopped for a while after traveling a short distance, and then continued on their way.

Benwei's third brother ran to where the carriage had stopped and found his second brother's still-warm body. The clothes below the abdomen were completely soaked in blood.

Images of Benway's second brother began to emerge in his memory. He was a round-faced, honest boy, a little slow-witted, but always obedient to Benway and Winters. Even when his mother beat him with a stick, that silly boy never betrayed Benway and Winters.

The child is dead? The child who followed behind me with that silly grin is dead?
Winters suddenly felt a little disoriented.

Benwei's third brother wiped away his tears and continued, "Then...then I had no choice but to hide my second brother in a ditch by the roadside...and continue chasing after those Monta people."

That night, Benwei's third brother secretly followed the carriage into the city and watched as the group dragged Benwei into a house.

Winters roughly understood what had happened. He felt sweat starting to bead on his forehead, and his breathing became uncontrollably rapid. But he kept telling himself, "There's no use in being anxious." The most important thing was to figure out the situation and clarify some doubts.

“Charles, don’t be hasty, I have a few questions for you.” Winters asked as calmly as possible, “How do you know that it was the Monta who kidnapped Benway?”

“Accent, they all have Monta accents,” Benway’s third brother answered without hesitation.

"Have you gone to see your older brother's companions... those dockworkers of your older brother, or have you gone to see the sheriff?"

Benwei's third brother's eyes welled up with tears again. He sobbed, "It's no use. The sheriff won't care about us. The Monta have bribed him. Several of my brother's coworkers have been killed by the Monta, but the sheriff won't even show his face. We're not Veneta, the sheriff won't care about us..."

With everyone's attention focused on the war with the Tanilia Federation, the Monta people chose a good time.

"You mean the Varne and Monta people working at the docks got into another fight, and the Varne lost, right?" Winters sensed something.

“Yesterday, the Monta attacked my brother’s group and killed their leader. I went to find them, but they had already knelt down and begged for mercy, too afraid to rescue my brother. They were the ones who told the Monta where we were hiding!” Benwei’s third brother grabbed Winters’ arm and cried, “I…I really had no other choice, otherwise I wouldn’t have come here…Winters, please, please save my brother. If you save my brother, my life will be yours!”

"Don't cry! A man bleeds, he doesn't cry." Winters took a handkerchief and wiped away Charles's tears. "Do you remember where they took your brother?"

“I kept watch all night, and when the sun came up, I copied down the address of that house.” Benway’s third brother quickly opened his clothes, tore off a piece of cloth from his undergarments, and handed it to Winters.

An address was written in blood on the cloth.

"Are you sure this address is correct?"

"That's right!"

Does anyone else know you came to see me?

"No! I didn't tell anyone."

"How many people took your brother away?"

"A dozen or so."

Is your brother still there?

Benwei's third brother shook his head, crying, and said, "I kept watch outside all night last night, but they couldn't bring my brother out. This day I went to look for my brother's group, but I couldn't keep an eye on them... Please, please go and save my brother quickly. The longer we delay, the more likely they are to take my brother somewhere else..."

There was nothing else to ask. Winters grabbed Charles's shoulders and asked, "Your brother sent the rest of your family to visit relatives. Do you know where they are?"

"I know." Benwei's third brother wiped away his tears and nodded.

Winters took out his spellcaster's insignia and placed it in Charles's palm. He then took out all the money he had and said to Charles seriously, "Leave your brother's matter to me. Now go find the rest of your family. Take this insignia and go to the Army Officers' Club to find Warrant Officer Bard, Bard of Gerald. Tell him I sent you to him, but don't tell him about your brother. Have him get a horse to take you to your family. Understand?"

Benway's third brother wanted to say something, but seeing Winters's look, he swallowed his words and nodded heavily.

“Repeat it.”

Benway's third brother repeated Winters' words.

“If your brother is alive, I will rescue him. If your brother is dead, I will avenge him. Go find your family, but don’t tell anyone you’ve seen me. Go.”

——Cut——

Time returns to the present.

After confirming that no light was coming from the wooden door of the balcony, Winters grabbed the parapet and iron railing and gently landed on the balcony of the back street of the house.

Although he tried to minimize the height of his landing, he was still a normal-weight adult male, and there was still a slight thud when he landed.

He held his breath, drew his dagger, leaned against the wall, and listened intently.

Fortunately, only snoring could be heard behind the door, and no one noticed the strange noise.

Winters acted alone tonight, without seeking any help. Although he was certain that Bud would help him without hesitation, and Andrei might also lend a hand, he didn't ask for anyone's assistance or tell anyone about his plans.

Ben Vinutto was Winters' friend; he had saved Winters' life. But Bud and Andrei didn't know him, so Winters didn't want to involve anyone else.

From early childhood school to officer training college, ten years of military academy life forged Winters Montagne into an "orderly man".

He could go to the sheriff, but he knew what would happen: the Monta would get advance notice, slash Benway's neck, and bury him somewhere outside the city; he could ask Antonia for help to have the gendarmes search the area, but that would expose Cosa and Elizabeth, putting them in danger.

So Winters decided to solve the problem himself.

Using the method Lieutenant Colonel Field had taught him, Winters slipped the thin blade of his dagger through the crack in the door and pried open the latch.

Over the past two days, Winters has thoroughly investigated the house and staked it out for a considerable time. The house is not as simple as it appears. Benway's third brother claimed that a dozen men kidnapped Benway, but Winters actually counted at least twenty-two different faces that entered the house and did not leave.

One house certainly couldn't house so many people; the only explanation is that the house next door also belonged to this group of Monta people. They knocked down the wall, turning the two houses into one. Or perhaps even more than two houses.

He has two plans: if the other side moves Benwei, he will intercept and kill him en route; if Benwei is not taken away, he will carry out the original plan, which is what he is doing now.

Using a light spell to emit a dim glow, Winters counted three people lying asleep on the floor.

He silently approached a man, and after identifying his vital points, plunged the dagger into his neck without hesitation. In the instant the dagger struck the neck, Winters pressed his knee against the man's chest and covered his mouth and nose with his left hand.

The Monta man was awakened from his sleep by intense pain, but with his throat severely injured and his mouth and nose covered, he could not make a sound and could only wave his arms wildly.

But Winters remained unmoved, continuing to drag and slash with unusual resistance as he did so. The sharp dagger sliced ​​through tendons, trachea, and blood vessels, leaving a horrific gash on the man's neck. The Monta man quickly lost his strength and lay still.

As the other man struggled, Winters inexplicably recalled Major Moritz's words. He thought: According to the major, even if I am hanged one day because of this, it will have nothing to do with you. You will not feel any satisfaction from revenge; your existence will be completely annihilated.

Killing an enemy on the battlefield is not the same as killing a citizen without trial. Venetia is not a lawless place; Venetia has order and law, and the state has a monopoly on the power to take lives. Regardless of how the law is actually enforced, murder is a capital crime.

But Winters' goal tonight isn't to rescue Benway; he wants to completely solve Benway's problems. Eliminating the body might not solve the problem entirely, but it can solve most of it.

Winters can use his Arrow Technique to drive a steel spike into the opponent's forehead without causing them any pain; it's clean, efficient, and doesn't even draw blood.

But he didn't possess Moritz's profound mastery of kinetic magic. If it were Major Moritz, he could simply walk in through the door and nail everyone inside to death one by one; he would only need to worry about anyone escaping. Winters didn't have that ability; he had to conserve his magic for the enemies behind him.

He continued in the same manner, dealing with the other two people in the room.

“Three,” Winters counted silently in his mind. “There are at least nineteen more.”

——Cut——

Benvinuto awoke from his coma in a room on the first floor of the house next door after a bucket of cold water was poured over his head.

His left eye was stinging with pain and was covered in blood, making it impossible for him to open it. Since being brought here, he had been tightly bound to a chair with ropes and had been brutally beaten.

Benvinuto struggled to lift his head, and by the dim light of the oil lamp, he could see the person in front of him.

He licked his dry lips and said weakly, "I'll say it again: Big Scar's death has nothing to do with me. If I killed him, I will never deny it. But if I didn't kill him, don't try to force me to admit it."

“It doesn’t really matter. If you admit it, you’ll live a few more days and then be hanged. If you don’t admit it, you’ll be beaten to death right here.” The man next to Benwei replied, picking up a cup and bringing it to Benwei’s lips: “Here, have some water.”

The man was thin and fair-skinned, with sparse brown hair, looking like he had never done physical labor, unlike a dockworker.

Benwei refused to drink, turning his head to the side and asking, "Then why don't you just kill me?"

“Because they don’t dare. They can kill someone by mistake with a bunch of people sticking sticks indiscriminately, but they don’t have the courage to execute you while looking you in the eye. If you don’t admit to killing Baal [Big Scar], they don’t know what to do with you, so they can only lock you up and wait for you to die.” The frail man explained, picking up his water glass and taking a big gulp: “Are you afraid it’s poisoned because you don’t want to drink it? It’s just water, look, I drank it too.”

"Who are you?"

The frail-looking man put the cup aside, seemingly tired of standing, and dragged a chair over to sit down in front of Benway: "I am Baal's son."

Benway was silent for a moment, then said, "Believe it or not, your father's death has nothing to do with me."

“I’ve already said it, it doesn’t matter whether you did it or not. Baal’s death is actually a good thing. Your death is also a good thing. This is blood that was bound to be shed.”

“I don’t understand what you’re talking about.” Benwei shook his head in confusion.

The frail-looking man, resting his chin on his hand, said, “You understand. Your family has been at the docks for so many years; you know better than anyone what it was like in the early days. Unregulated competition, violent fights for work—in the end, no one had enough to eat. After our three groups took over the docks, we established rules for the first time, and everyone's lives improved a little. But we still fought amongst ourselves, and who knows how much blood was shed? Every year, the docks saw a few more widows and a few more beggar families.” “So?”

"There's no need to split into three groups; one group is enough at the docks of Blue Harbor. I'm not trying to drive you and the Paratul people off the docks; I'm trying to make you my people. Only when the three groups become one can we truly eliminate internal strife. I will establish a porters' guild like the blacksmiths' guild. When the porters are a unified whole, we will have a voice..."

Benwei interrupted, "Wait... what did you say? You can? The Monta people will listen to you now."

“Yes.” The frail-looking man nodded. “Right now it’s just the Monta people, but soon it will be all the dockworkers.”

"So what if the Van and Paratul don't want to listen to you?" Benwei asked with a sneer.

“Therefore, there need to be some people who can use force; their role is to make everyone listen to me,” the frail-looking man replied softly.

Ben Vinutto scoffed, "So your thugs are your military aristocracy? You think you can be emperor on a dock no bigger than a mung bean?"

The frail-looking man's pupils dilated as he exclaimed, "You don't understand, Ben Vinutto! This is for the benefit of all dockworkers! Have you ever seen a dockworker in their fifties? No! They're either dead or worn out by the work. Dockworkers are risking their lives for money, and the money they get is getting less and less! In the past ten years, the price of grain has risen by 20%, but the dockworkers' wages have hardly changed. Because of the decline in the silver content of the currency, they've actually fallen by 10%. Without a voice, there will never be any bargaining power! The docks don't lack workers; they'll chew us all up, suck our blood and flesh dry, and spit out only crumbs!"

This impassioned speech seemed to have exhausted the frail man's strength; his chest heaved as he gasped for breath.

Ben Vinutto was rendered speechless by the retort, and after a moment he asked again, "You're not a dockworker either, are you?"

“I am not, but I was born into a dockworker’s family just like you, and I have witnessed the suffering of dockworkers,” the frail man replied through gritted teeth.

"Have you told your 'military aristocracy' about your ambitions?"

The frail-looking man shook his head: "They don't understand yet. Right now, they're driven by hatred. They just want revenge for Baal, and some are after territory. I'll guide them step by step, and they'll eventually understand. Everyone will eventually understand."

Benwei asked with a smile, "Then what's the point of telling me all this?"

The frail-looking man lowered his eyes, looking at Benwei's feet, and softly replied, "Because you're about to die, I want you to die knowing why, so you know you didn't die in vain."

Suddenly, the wooden door behind the frail-looking man was pushed open. Before he could turn around, a cold glint flashed, and his body stiffened abruptly.

The next second, the frail man who had just been talking non-stop slid weakly off his chair and collapsed to the ground. Something had pierced the back of his head, and a sharp point was protruding from his mouth.

A masked man in black, covered in blood, then entered the room.

Everything happened so suddenly that before the shocked Benwei could even cry out, the masked man in black rushed over and covered his mouth: "Don't shout, it's me."

Upon hearing the masked man's familiar voice, Ben Vinutto's eyes widened in disbelief, and he uttered a muffled sound through his covered mouth: "Winters?"

The masked man in black nodded, released his grip, and immediately began checking the entire room. After confirming that there were no other living people in the room, he quickly walked back to Benwei's side.

“It’s me, you’re still here, thank goodness! I thought they moved you away…” Winters removed the black cloth covering his face, revealing his features. His eyes were splattered with blood, but the area below his eyes was clean, making him appear extremely eerie.

The initial surprise faded from Winters' face, replaced by anger and sadness: "What did they do to you? What did they do to your eyes?"

"What? What do you mean?" Benway didn't understand what Winters was talking about.

"Never mind that for now." Winters pulled out a dagger and deftly cut Benway's limbs and the ropes binding him.

Benwei, now free, tried to stand up while holding onto a chair, but his limbs were too weak and he slumped back down. Having been bound for nearly three days, Benwei's limbs had not received enough blood circulation and he was now completely powerless.

Benway, now only able to move his eyes, watched in astonishment as Winters grabbed the frail man's hair with one hand and held a dagger in the other, slitting the corpse's throat again.

Then he put his hand into the corpse's mouth and did something. It seemed like he used a lot of force to remove a finger-length, pointed object from the corpse's mouth.

Winters wiped the bloody mess he'd pulled from the frail man's clothes and tucked it back into his belt. Benway then realized that the belt was pierced with a row of triangular steel spikes, some of which were empty.

After finishing this routine, Winters pulled out a revolver and handed it to Benway: "If anyone else comes in, just shoot. You don't need the firing lever; just point the gun at them and pull this little lever."

After saying that, he picked up the dagger and walked out of the house.

"Where are you going?" Bennuto asked quickly.

“He’s twenty, there are at least two more.” Winters walked out of the room without looking back, closing the door behind him.

Benway slumped in his chair, holding the strange-looking gun Winters had given him, pointing it at the door. His mind was blank; everything had turned out too suddenly, and he had no idea what had happened.

As his limbs gradually regained their strength and his arms became obedient again, Benwei immediately slapped himself.

It hurts.

Not a dream.

I hit him again.

It hurts just the same.

I'm sure it's not a dream.

Benvinuto picked up the water glass the frail man had placed on the table and drank the rest of the water in one gulp. His long-parched throat was moistened again, and he involuntarily looked at the frail man who had given him the water.

The frail man's body lay on its side, head turned to the side, a pool of blood starting from his throat and spreading outwards. The young, thin boy's already pale face grew even paler, stained with a mixture of blood and grime. Whatever ideals he once held, they all ended with his death.

Benwei crouched down beside him, gently closed the man's dilated pupils, then took his hand and silently recited the Lord's Prayer for him.

The door was opened again, but this time it wasn't pushed open quickly and silently like when Winters came in; instead, it was suddenly shoved open with a shoulder.

Ben Vinutto immediately gripped his gun again and pointed it toward the door, but the person who entered was Winters.

"Twenty-five! It's all settled, come with me now." Winters said, panting, "What are you doing?"

Upon seeing that the person who entered was Winters, Benway grasped the frail man's hand again and continued muttering to himself.

Winters snapped, "What kind of time is this? You still have the mind to conduct religious ceremonies?"

Benway insisted on reciting the entire Lord's Prayer for the frail young man from the beginning before getting up and limping after Winters to leave.

“How did you know I was here?” Benway asked.

As soon as he left the small room where he was being held, Benwei saw a corpse lying in a pool of blood in the hallway.

"Charles has come to see me."

"Where is Charles now? Do you know how my second brother is doing?" Benwei asked hurriedly.

“Charles went to your mother’s,” Winters said with difficulty. “Rene… is dead.”

Benwei's vision went black, he felt dizzy and almost fell to the ground.

Winters quickly helped Benway up and silently squeezed Benway's arm.

Benwei took a deep breath, rallied his spirits, and said, "You should go now. I'll handle things here."

"You don't need to worry about this. Come with me, there's a place where I can hide you."

After confirming that no one was on the street, Winters led Benway away from the Monta stronghold. Benway was limping and couldn't walk fast, so Winters took his gun back, put it in its holster, and simply carried Benway on his back.

He carried Benwei all the way to the nearby Yangyong River before putting him down. The two of them found a gentle slope and went down into the river, walking all the way to a drainage pipe.

A bald man dressed in a coarse monk's robe had been waiting there for a long time. When he saw Winters arrive, the cripple said with dissatisfaction, "Why did it take so long?"

"There were some troubles on the way, thank you for your help this time."

"Stop spouting this nonsense," the cripple said impatiently, then beckoned to Benwei: "Come with me."

Then he limped into the drainage culvert.

“The Monta people might continue to retaliate against you, and even if they don’t, the sheriff will still be looking for you. Go with him, and no one will be able to find you. Focus on recovering from your injuries first,” Winters said to Benway, then stuffed another bag of money into Benway’s hand.

Benway initially wanted to refuse the bag of money, but ultimately took it. He grabbed Winters' arm, tears welling in his eyes, and uttered a short sentence: "Thank you..."

“Do you and I need to say these things?” Winters gave Benway a bear hug.

"Then what are you going to do? What about there..." Benwei asked again, still worried.

"Don't worry, no one saw me there except you. I'm going to war after tonight, and then no one will be able to find me!" Winters replied with a laugh, then said in a low voice, "If either of the men in my family doesn't come back... could you look after my family for me?"

"Definitely." Benwei squeezed Winters' hand tightly, followed the cripple into the culvert, and the two limping figures disappeared into the darkness.

Winters covered his face and returned to the Monta's stronghold. He still had a few steel spikes embedded in the Monta's bodies that he hadn't removed in time, so he had to go back to get them out.

——Cut——

"Senior? Major?"

In his sleep, Moritz vaguely heard someone calling him, and then he boarded the boat, which swayed from side to side.

Finally, when he looked up to see who was calling him, he woke up.

Winters' face appeared before him.

"I fell asleep? How long have I been asleep?" Major Moritz asked, bewildered, as he had just woken up.

"We didn't sleep for long. We kept drinking, and as we were drinking, I realized you had fallen asleep, so I woke you up."

"Oh... what time is it now?" Major Moritz's head was throbbing with pain, and he felt like he had a hangover.

"I don't know, it's very late, and you kept me drinking and wouldn't let me leave." Winters replied with a wry smile, "It's really too late now, I really have to go home."

"I'm sorry... I'm sorry... Where's Field?"

"She's asleep too."

“Wake him up. His wife can’t stand him staying out all night,” Moritz said, rubbing his forehead. He sniffed hard. “What do you smell like?”

"What's that smell? Did you forget you spilled wine on me?" Winters pointed to the still-wet spot on his clothes. He had deliberately poured half a bottle of wine on himself before waking Major Moritz to mask any lingering smell of blood.

"I'm so sorry... I really drank too much," Major Moritz said apologetically, rubbing his temples.

When Field and Winters left Major Moritz's residence, Moritz's landlady personally saw them off.

After the two had traveled for a while, a half-drunk and half-awake Field, riding his horse, pointed to the sky and asked, "What's going on over there?"

"What? What happened?" Winters asked, sounding puzzled.

“Look up there,” Field yawned. “Is there a fire somewhere?”

Winters yawned as well: "I don't know, anyway, it's none of our business."

Field laughed and said, "That's true... Bullets don't discriminate, so you have to be careful. After this battle is over, I'll treat you to drinks in Golden Harbor."

Winters chuckled and replied, "Then I'll have to drink something good, don't force me to drink this cheap stuff again."

The two laughed and rode away from the town.

——Cut——

Kosa pressed her ear to the door and turned to Antonio, saying, "Up the stairs, up the stairs."

Antonio looked up from the book in his hands, glanced at his wife, and sighed.

"I'm going back to my room." Kosa walked back to bed and complained to Antonio, "Where did this child go? Why is he coming home so late? He didn't even tell me."

“How is this late?” Antonio said casually, glancing at his book. “The child is all grown up now and should have his own nightlife. It’s normal for me, Winters’ age, to stay out all night. Don’t worry about it.”

Kosa turned around in a rage and punched Antonio twice.

"Alright, you're back. Now you can get some sleep." Antonio put away his book and blew out the lamp.

In the darkness, Antonio hugged Kosha from behind and held his wife's hand: "After Winters and I leave Hailan, you and Elizabeth should go stay at Giovanni's house. It's not safe there since all the men are gone."

Kosa simply replied, "After you leave, I will light two eternal lamps. I will pray for you every day until you and the children return home."

Antonio silently squeezed his wife's hand.

Kosa's soft sobs could be heard from inside the room.

This chapter is being posted quite late, but it's very long. I write late over the weekend, hoping to finish it in one chapter, and before I knew it, it was already this late.

Thank you to all the readers who voted for this book before, especially writersblock, Yuan Hongjian, 20181013204343295, Ami, and kkkkkk. Thank you everyone, bowing deeply.

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(End of this chapter)