Alien world

Chapter 1741, Section 374: The Traitor

The bottom nest, the treasure layer.

“I’m sorry, Albek, I’m too late. Your wife and family have already been arrested by the court.”

The emerging gray fog apologized to Albek.

“It’s not your fault. If the Empire lets me go, they will take their anger out on my family,” said Albek, who was wearing a cloak that concealed his ugly rat-like body.

Standing behind him were the other twelve silent and solemn black-clad Ratmen.

"Stop calling me Albik. Our new name is Traitor."

"Traitor, welcome to the Chaos Cult's eighth elite."

"Seventh."

Accompanied by a shrill voice, the rat-man priest who had previously blocked the vice-judge entered.

It looked miserable, with large patches of gray hair falling out, covering a deep mouth where the bone was visible.

The gray fog paused briefly: "Has the Baron's body been brought back?"

"No. Those who were erased by the Holy Mark are beyond saving." The rat-man priest spoke hoarsely, his red eyes fixed on the traitor. "Where is your nephew?"

“I don’t have a nephew. Isn’t he someone you sent to spy on me?” Albek said calmly.

The ratman priest disliked Albek's attitude, but regardless of status or identity, they were all equals. He turned to the gray mist and vented, "The legion commander has finished all the arrangements. I hope you have prepared the burrows for everyone to leave."

……

The perpetrator usually returns to the crime scene.

Annan didn't know if the court would have such experience, but after changing his mind, he decided not to go to O'Lin's place first, but to take a detour back to the circular plaza.

The chaos has ended, and the National Army has taken over the area. They are searching the buildings one by one and will soon discover the secret passage through which Albek escaped.

That couple might be disturbed again soon. Hopefully, they haven't started yet... or maybe it's already over?

A strangely behaving carriage suddenly appeared in front of the street, and the Nationalist army quickly surrounded it. Just as they were about to question it, Annan opened the carriage door and stepped out.

"You weren't arrested?" Annan was surprised to see that the person leading the team was Gandhi.

Priest Gandhi's expression was grim: "I've been controlled by the Chaos Cult..."

"It seems the vice judge either doesn't hold grudges, or he's simply incapable of holding them anymore?"

Just as Priest Gandhi was about to say something, he showed a listening expression, then turned to the side and said, "Annan Reeves, come with me."

Annan followed him curiously into the circular plaza and saw the deputy warden sitting on the edge of the execution ground, his chest wrapped in a blood-stained bandage.

After the healing spell's glow, he donned a black robe and looked at Annan who was approaching.

"you are still alive?"

Annan thought he and the Baron had died together... but it turned out that only the Baron was injured.
Gandhi glanced sideways, thinking, "Why doesn't this Annan have a single nice word to say?"

"Are you disappointed?" the deputy warden retorted, a rare occurrence for him.

“If it were a week ago, I might have been disappointed,” Annan implied that he already knew something.

The deputy warden nodded almost imperceptibly, his dark, farmer-like face, though heavily wounded, remained calm: "Albek has already defected, what are you doing here?"

“I didn’t come for that traitor,” Annan said cooperatively, then glanced at Gandhi.

"He is my successor."

The deputy judge's words proved Gandhi's trustworthiness and explained why the seriously injured deputy warden was unharmed. "That makes things easier. Is the baron's body here? The one who got hit by that dark thing."

“That’s the Obsidian Mark,” Gandhi said, still young at heart.

"Oh, so is he here?"

The deputy warden looked at Gandhi, who thought for a moment and said, "The bodies of the attackers are temporarily piled up behind the execution ground. The baron you mentioned is one of their elites, right? He's here too."

"That's good. Hand over the body to me."

Priest Gan instinctively wanted to refuse, but he couldn't figure out the deputy warden's attitude towards Annan.

“No.” The deputy warden coughed a few times. “They are heretical members of a chaotic cult who attempted to break into the prison. I cannot hand them over to you.”

"I'll just use it for a bit, I'll return it to you later," Annan bargained.

The deputy warden seemed to see through Annan's intentions and said, "Killed by the Obsidian Mark, his soul was also nailed to his body, unable to escape."

"That would be even better!"

Annan was worried that he would go around in circles and come back to take the body away. The Baron's soul had already gone to hell. If he was still here, things would be easier!
"Release the seal and lend me the body for a moment."

Even the deputy warden was speechless at Annan's self-righteousness and asked him, "On what grounds?"

Annan glanced at Gandhi and threatened him with practiced ease, "Vice Judge, you don't want your plans to be accidentally revealed by me, do you?"

"Did Albek tell you that?" the deputy warden asked calmly.

"No, it's my intelligence and keen observation."

The deputy warden spoke slowly, with an air of pressure: "What do you want to do, reveal a secret that threatens the Inquisition? Annan Reeves, do you think we really wouldn't dare arrest you?"

“You’ve misunderstood, Your Honor. I only want the Baron’s body.” Annan’s eyes were sincere. “You should know how much I care about these things, that I was willing to cause such a ruckus in Montreal Hills for the Blackwatch.”

Seemingly considering Annan's actions these past few days, the deputy warden's attitude finally softened: "Annan Reeves, you are an excellent young man, but you do not know enough about this world. Getting too close to the ratmen, dark elves, or the Chaos Cult is like dancing on the edge of a cliff."

“I understand what you mean. When you gaze into the abyss, the abyss also gazes into you, right? All I can say is, let time tell.”

Whether you go back to the past or to a new world, it would be a great pity if you only focused on immediate gains, cared about how much money you could make and how high a position you could climb, instead of doing something meaningful.

Annan was confident that he would not fall into depravity. Based on experience, the deputy warden also believed that Annan was getting too close to them.

The vice-judge remained unmoved, so it seemed the only way to break through was to try something else. They would have to put up with the baron's hardship for now.

"Take good care of yourself." Annan turned to leave.

"He can give it to you."

The deputy judge's voice suddenly came from behind.

Annan stopped and turned to look at the whispering deputy judge: "But you need to do one thing."

"what's up?"

Gandhi voluntarily left and stood guard at a distance.

The deputy judge slowly explained, "Albek and his group infiltrated the Chaos Cult, but the test has only just begun. The Chaos Cult will not easily trust them."

“I need someone to infiltrate the Chaos Cult and secretly cooperate with Albek and his group.”

Annan pondered, "The Empire went to such great lengths to get Albek and the others in, what makes you think I can do the same?"

"Because you are from Annam."

(End of this chapter)