Baron Cullen

At that moment, Lamont's gaze fell on the room at the end of the corridor.

The door to that room was also open, but a faint, familiar scent wafted from inside.

Bloody smell!

Lamont rushed to the last room, but once inside, he froze on the spot.

What came into view was an extremely bloody and gruesome scene.

A bloodied and disfigured corpse, its face unrecognizable, was hung upside down and nailed to the wall by countless blood-stained stakes.

The blood flowing from the corpse's wounds was already semi-congealed, clinging to the wall in an extremely eerie manner.

It's like a painting that you can't look at directly.

On the other side, Karen expressionlessly grabbed the blanket from the bed and carefully wrapped it around Lina's body.

He gently stroked Lina's eyes, calming her expression which had been filled with pain and despair, before picking her up.

Throughout the entire process, his face was pale but expressionless, and even his eyes showed no emotion.

It was like a mindless walking corpse.

"This little girl's name is Lina. She runs a flower shop in the west of the city." Karen carried Lina to Lamont, as if reporting or confiding, "The day she disappeared, she promised her mother that she would go home after selling the last few bouquets of flowers."

But she was targeted by Bastian and brought here like a piece of cargo for those people to play with.

No matter how much she begged for mercy, this man... Jacob Lance, a squad leader of a knight order, still beat her to death!

It's like casually killing a piece of livestock.

Upon hearing this, Lamont stared blankly at Lina in Karen's arms.

The little girl lay in my arms, her small face covered with bruises and scars, but she looked very calm.

It seems she didn't die, but simply took a nap.

"So I killed him." Karen looked directly at Lamont, her tone extremely calm. "I used the most painful methods I could muster to make him die in the most extreme agony."

Even though he is dead, I will torture and destroy his body. He is not worthy of being judged by the gods.

He should repay this blood feud on the spot!

After a long silence, Lamont gently patted Karen's shoulder, silently took Lina from his arms, and said in a deep voice, "You rest for a bit, leave this to me."

After saying that, he immediately turned and left the room, heading straight downstairs.

He knew in his heart that although the little girl named Lina in his arms was already a corpse, she should be treated with even more care.

This was an extremely painful blow for both them and Lina's family.

On the other side, Karen took a deep breath.

Although he had expected it, after witnessing such a cruel and inhumane scene, he really wanted to go out and relax.

But the moment he turned around, the mysterious runes, still in operation, quickly detected something.

He stared at an oil painting depicting a hunting scene hanging on the opposite wall of the room. From that peculiar perspective, he saw that there was a hole behind the painting!

There seems to be something inside.

Karen reached out and took the painting down, only to find a smooth wall behind it.

He reached out and carefully felt around the wall, then found an inconspicuous indentation where the edge of the painting used to be, and pressed it down hard.

Click.

The wall in front of them suddenly slid up, revealing a hidden wooden compartment.

The hidden compartment was quite empty, with only a simple brass key lying quietly inside.

However, from his peculiar perspective, a faint trace of extraordinary energy remained in the center of the right side of the hidden compartment.

Karen picked up the key and casually pressed the button in the center on the right side.

The originally smooth and hard wooden lattice wall suddenly dented inward, followed by a "click" sound.

The wall, two or three steps away from the hidden compartment, suddenly trembled slightly, and then slid upwards as before, revealing a door hidden inside the wall!

There's even a hidden door here!

Karen was quite surprised.

This hidden door was so well concealed that even Lamont, whose strength had reached the fourth level, did not notice it when he walked over.

If it weren't for the mysterious runes deep within his right eye, probably no one would have discovered this hidden door today.

Karen walked to the hidden door, reached out and turned the doorknob, only to find that the door did not budge.

Seeing this, he immediately inserted the key in his hand into the hole below the doorknob and gently turned it.

Click.

The door opened.

Karen entered the study and found the decor to be very luxurious.

Each of the four corners of the room has a potted plant as tall as a person, while the walls on both sides are fitted with bookshelves that reach the ceiling.

Near the entrance, there was a wine cabinet by the wall, containing dozens of bottles of wine of various sizes that he couldn't name.

In front of a bookcase on one side is a large wooden desk with exquisite carvings on all four legs, which looks quite expensive.

But what attracted his attention most were the several boxes placed against the wall directly opposite the entrance.

He walked up to the box, opened it, and was astonished to find that it was a whole box of neatly stacked gold bars!

At a glance, one of the boxes contained at least seventy or eighty gold bars, and there were seven boxes in total along this wall!

At that moment, Karen finally understood.

Why was Jacob able to speak so confidently when he offered Bastian's secret as a bargaining chip before his death?

It turns out that this priest of the church had amassed such a huge amount of ill-gotten gains over the years!

Turning her gaze away, Karen walked straight to the desk.

He sat in a large, comfortable chair, opened the drawer in front of him, and found several thick account books inside.

Upon opening it, one finds records of the profits Bastian has made over the years from kidnapping and adopting girls, as well as details of the various filthy transactions he has conducted with those girls!

Every single transaction, from the time and place to the amount, and even the buyer's name, is meticulously recorded!

The three thick ledgers, each about three fingers wide, were filled to the brim with records, a truly shocking sight!

Clearly, this mansion is another important source of income for Bastian, besides the human organ trading business!

Karen was horrified.

But he also confirmed that his previous guess was indeed correct.

For someone of Bastian's character, even knowing that these things remaining in the world would be a Damocles' sword for him personally.

But he still chose to stay.

So that if things were ever exposed someday, he could use these things to fight for his life!

Thinking of this, Karen couldn't help but let out a cold smile.

The plan was very thorough and cautious, but unfortunately, he found these things.

Just as he was about to take out all three account books to seal them away, he discovered that there was a folded parchment under the bottom account book.

Only a corner of the parchment was visible, and it looked extremely ordinary, but Karen's expression changed drastically the moment she saw it!

It was only because, through the peculiar perspective of his mysterious runes, he was horrified to discover that the parchment, with only a corner showing, was emanating an extremely terrifying aura!

That feeling is unmistakable; it's the feeling you only get when facing a true powerhouse!

In that instant, Karen thought of the several fifth-tier transcendents in the City of No Breath.

Lord Drano, Bishop Albert, Guild Master Donald, and... that cold-looking young woman I'd met at the Mage Guild before.

Moreover, the parchment exuded a very strange aura, as if it were filled with decay, chaos, and misfortune.

Just one glance from him sent chills down his spine!

Karen took a deep breath, slowly took out the parchment, and unfolded it.

There was a line of crooked words written on it in some kind of dark red liquid.

"All goods have been disposed of properly, and funds have been transferred as soon as possible."

The feast is about to begin; leave no trace.