Storm of Gods

Chapter 186 Emptying
An antique shop in the outer city of Heldan had a "Closed" sign hanging outside. Antique shops in the outer city are similar to junk shops. Behind a pile of broken shelves is a passageway, and the basement is very simple, with some odds and ends scattered around. Only a crouching stone sculpture with wings stands out a bit. It is about two meters tall, with a fierce expression, sharp beak and fangs, and is carved so lifelike that it seems to come to life at any moment as the candlelight flickers.

This is a secret contact point for the funeral procession. Travis is waiting; the other party is clearly late, but Travis remains patient.

After a while, the candlelight suddenly went out without warning, Travis bowed down, while the bent-over stone sculpture slowly stood up.

“Captain,” Travis said respectfully.

"Your actions are too slow. You're going to escalate the conflict and make things worse." The statue's voice was a little rough, but it became smoother after a few sentences. It still sounded like it was chewing bones, and it sounded particularly jarring in the dark basement.

"The pressure from the cabinet is too great. It's hard to resist the power of the funeral procession. As for our situation... I have absolutely no idea what to do."

"Having come this far, are you scared?" the statue said, its mouth indeed opening and closing, slowly approaching Travis, as if it could bite Travis's head off at any moment.

Travis didn't back down, but sighed with a wry smile, "Of course I'm scared, how can I not be? I don't even know what I'm doing, if this continues..."

"It's too late to know now. There's no turning back. It's either do it or die." The man in the robe remained calm.

“It’s not that I’m afraid of death, it’s that I don’t know what I’m doing, why I’m risking my life, and why I…” Travis didn’t finish his sentence. He had worked for the Undertaker for so many years and had been involved in all sorts of secrets. How could he be afraid of death? But what he was doing now was more terrifying than death.

“Remember this: everything we do is to protect the kingdom, to protect the undertakers, and to protect the justice we uphold!” the statue creaked. “That’s why we chose you; you are the only suitable one.”

"What's next?" Travis didn't react. His superiors liked to make empty promises, but this wasn't even a promise.

He didn't want to back down, and he knew what his actions represented. He figured the other party wouldn't tell him the details he couldn't understand. At this point, even knowing he was doing something that went against his judgment, he decided to believe in justice.

“Agree to Didia’s request, and then inadvertently leak the dossier to him.”

“Okay, that’s a small matter. Should we lend Simmons a hand?” Travis continued to ask.

“No need. If the Earl can’t even handle this, he’s really senile,” the statue said after a moment of silence, then flapped its wings. “It’s not that bad. This old fox is more cunning than anyone else. He must have something in mind. We just need to do our own thing, and he will definitely find a way to cooperate.”

The basement lights came on again, and the stone statue slowly curled up. Travis also slipped out silently through the back door. In the darkness, Travis still felt a deep chill creeping over him...

***
Anthony was imprisoned at the Undertaker's headquarters in the Saint Zee district. The Nasser family had been trying to visit him but had been refused. The Undertaker was worried about something going wrong, but the pressure from above was also immense. Didia Arthur and his men were waiting at the Undertaker's place. After finishing his duel with Simmons, he had been waiting at the Nightwatch, hoping that the Nightwatch would allow him to see his older brother.

He ate and slept with the Undertaker, and the Undertaker's members treated this young master of the Nasser family with great courtesy. To put it bluntly, Anthony's affair was just bad luck; it had nothing to do with Duke Nasser. The Nasser family was one of the eight pillars of the kingdom, practically inseparable from the nation. It wasn't a big deal for one or two unworthy sons to emerge; every family had its share. The difference this time was that in the past, it only circulated in a small circle, but now, due to the Hexbird report and the combined effects of the Internal Organ Demon, it had aroused strong public resentment, and the king's wrath had made it this way.

Upon seeing Travis return looking travel-worn, Didia immediately came to greet him. "Captain Travis, please let me see my brother. You can have someone accompany me. Really, I just want to check on him."

“Young Master Didia, please let me go. It really isn’t the right time for you two to meet,” Travis said, still quite politely. “The case of the Internal Organ Demon isn’t over yet; we need to continue our investigation. Anthony’s case is also ongoing. There were a lot of people in the bar at the time, so you see…”

At the time, the people involved were all noblemen. When the funeral directors tried to find them, they were turned away. The funeral directors couldn't really do anything to them, so they could only beg politely. All these troubles were caused by Anthony. The funeral directors under his command were also full of complaints. The king's orders from above were strict, and they were caught in the middle, which was the most difficult situation.

“Captain Travis, you’re just worried about collusion, but there’s really no need. I won’t go in; I’ll just take a look from outside and say a few words. You can come along,” Didia said. “As long as you nod your head, you can win the friendship of the Nasser family.”

Given the Nasser family's status, a mere captain of the funeral procession was something they could never hope to attain; they were usually just henchmen handling dirty, strenuous, and clandestine tasks. The Nasser family, however, were pillars of the state. Travis narrowed his eyes. "Is Young Master Didia representing himself, or the Nasser family?"

“Of course, I’m representing the Nasser family. It’s inconvenient for others to come forward. I am the captain of the Divine Knight Academy, and I swear on the dignity and honor of a knight that I will never have any private dealings with Anthony,” Didia said.

Travis pondered for a moment, feeling conflicted. If he didn't speak up, he would offend them severely. "Young Master Didia, come with me. I appreciate your sincerity, but I still can't allow you to communicate. However, I can let you watch our interrogation for a while."

Didia knew this was the limit; pushing further would be going too far. "Thank you, Travis!"

“Please come with me. Please wait here for a moment while I arrange the interrogation, which will be in the room next door,” Travis said, and then hurriedly left.

Didia stayed in his room, finally able to see Anthony. His older brother was much older than him and had taken good care of him; the two had a good relationship. Later, Didia went to cultivate and focused on refining divine relics and exploring sacred lands for a long time, so their contact became less frequent. When he returned, Anthony had gone to the front lines to fight for the country. Perhaps because they had grown up, the two had become somewhat distant this time. Didia's strength and potential were naturally greater than Anthony's, and he was regarded as the first heir of the family. Anthony felt a little guilty and respected Didia even more.

The wait was a bit long. Didia saw the open file on the table. He didn't want to look at it at first, but Anthony's photo was too obvious. Seeing that no one was around, he couldn't help but look at it. At first, Didia was a little angry, and his hands clenched tightly. But soon Didia's expression changed. His mouth twitched and he gradually turned pale, the color draining away little by little.

The files are all about Anthony, including this incident, as well as a summary of cases from many years ago. Some cases, though not adjudicated, involve nobles and are archived and sealed. This is a requirement from above, and the funeral procession is responsible for carrying them out. Moreover, there is a special department within the funeral procession with the highest authority specifically in charge.

Anthony raped a female student at the Academy of Divine Protection. He was only silenced after the victim was apprehended, but he committed the crime again soon after. Heldan could no longer stay there and was sent to the front lines to avoid trouble. He rose from centurion to chiliarch and made outstanding military achievements, eventually earning the title of viscount. However, the Undertaker's secret investigation revealed problems. There was evidence that Anthony had killed innocent people and claimed credit for them. He claimed to have returned to report on his duties, but in reality, the Undertaker was trying to verify the evidence.

Anthony didn't care about any of that. He had finally escaped that barren place and returned to the prosperous Heldan. He had been holding back for too long and couldn't hold back any longer. The women on the border were nothing compared to the voluptuous and beautiful women of Heldan. Even their screams had an artistic quality.

Little did they know that they had been filmed by the funeral procession, which is why the funeral procession's patrol was able to arrive so quickly.

The photos and pictures accompanying the case file were extremely cruel and disgusting, and the text descriptions made his head buzz. He had always felt strange that he was the heir. Even though he had potential, the eldest son was still the eldest son, and in the end, it fell to him... Perhaps his family already knew.

The behavior inside is no longer human.

He had heard about these things before. Some nobles were unambitious and indulged in pleasure all day long. He didn't think there was anything wrong with that. Everyone has their own ambitions. Those who want to strive can strive, and those who want to enjoy can enjoy. There is no conflict between them. It's just that he completely misunderstood "pleasure".

At this point, Anthony was also taken to another room, where Travis, accompanied by two funeral attendants, interrogated him personally. Anthony launched into a tirade of insults, vowing to tear them to pieces sooner or later. Whenever the case was mentioned, he would shout that he had been framed, that the vile woman was part of a conspiracy, that he had shed blood for his country, and that he was a hero…

The undertakers dared not use torture, as no one above had spoken. Their biggest fear was that if Anthony were eventually released, they would be finished. Being an undertaker was a profession, and they all had families; they were not all alone.

Through the crack, Didia could see a glimpse of something. Everything he had anticipated was in disarray. Was this Travis's conspiracy?
He deliberately showed himself these things; they were all fake, all forged?

But... he had seen someone run over and die in front of his house before, but his family was very calm, saying that the person was crazy, a fallen person, and that he would do such a thing if he was under a curse. As a family of heroes, it was normal to bear such burdens.

The family knows everything, but nobody cares.

Didia didn't know how he got out of the Undertaker's. He had always been proud of the name Nasser and fought for it, growing stronger step by step to uphold his faith. But at this moment, he felt as if his body had been hollowed out. Didia walked aimlessly through the streets of the Holy Zeal District...

(End of this chapter)