Chapter 143: Charisma Is Justice
“There really is one!” Anse thought in alarm.
He purely felt that this matter was shrouded in mystery, more like someone deliberately stirring trouble, with the Iron Crown possibly being the scapegoat. He hadn’t expected a casual guess to hit the mark.
If that was a newborn Mind Flayer, the situation might be even worse, meaning that the Iron Crown had already been infiltrated seven days ago.
“It’s also possible that after discovering the parasite, they imprisoned him in the secret room.”
It had been too rushed earlier, and he hadn’t seen anything clearly. That room could also be a secret prison.
Thinking of this, Anse immediately used the Paradise Seal to notify Finn. Once he was ready, he teleported him, Greyhawk, and Nolnos out together.
“Keep watch on this building and the courtyard behind it. Inform me if anyone suspicious leaves, especially those hiding their heads and faces. Be careful not to get too close.”
A newborn Mind Flayer has limited spellcasting ability and probably no spell disguise ability.
“Mm.” Finn responded and quickly left the alley.
At the same time, Kalenno, waiting at the Federation headquarters, noticed the Paradise Seal on his chest start flashing. He stood up with a whoosh: “We’ve found something. Let’s go.”
Illyas vanished from the spot with a whoosh, disappearing from everyone’s gaze in the blink of an eye.
Quentin shook his head, called out to Giant Tail, and set off at a run with a team of guards.
Anse used the Scepter of Sanctuary to perceive the seal starting to move, nodded to himself, then mounted Nolnos, dispelled his disguise, took out the Elemental Orb and tossed it casually. A point of rainbow light swirled and danced around him.
Since there was solid evidence, they could just block the door directly; there was no need to hesitate.
Nolnos stepped forward, charged out of the alley, trotted to the front of the Iron Crown building, and stood motionless at the door.
The first floor was a shop open to the public, mainly dealing in various weapon equipment, with people coming and going. Anse attracted a lot of attention as soon as he appeared.
The guards at the door saw the man and horse; they seemed familiar but couldn’t recall where they had seen them.
“Sir, if you wish to purchase goods, please come in to select. Don’t block the door…”
Before the guard finished speaking, a middle-aged man hurried out, pushed the guard aside, smiled obsequiously on his face, and bowed: “Welcome, President Hollewen. Please come inside.”
“Are you the manager?” Anse immediately activated the True Sight Ring, a ring of mana spiritual light appearing around his eyes.
He shifted his gaze, scanning one by one, not sparing even the customers and surrounding crowd, but found no anomalies.
Seeing this, the middle-aged man felt a thud in his heart, sensing a bad omen, and cautiously probed: “I am the shop manager. If you have any matters, tell me, and I will handle them immediately.”
Anse pointed to the northwest direction on the first floor: “What is that room in the northwest corner used for?”
“Warehouse, storing some miscellaneous items…”
“What about under the warehouse?” Anse interrupted him.
“Ah?” The middle-aged man’s expression stiffened, and he gave a dry laugh. “Below… isn’t it just the floor?”
“Do I look like a fool to you?” Anse gave him a cold look.
At this time, the street was packed with people, many adventurers among them, whispering and inquiring everywhere.
The Dragon Slayer president had just taken office and was already targeting a powerful councillor. It might be related to that rumor—this gossip was too explosive.
A hundred meters in the air, a flying carpet hovered and circled. Illyas had arrived, but she didn’t descend, just quietly observing and leaving everything to Anse.
“Below is a secret vault.” A tall, thin man with short whiskers and handsome features pushed through the crowd to the shop door.
He wore a black velvet tailcoat with gold trim, a white vest inside, and leaned on a long cane in his hand, looking like a noble rather than a merchant.
“Councillor Graham, may I ask what is in the secret vault?” Anse remained calm. After half a day, of course he wouldn’t forget this elegant councillor.
“President, why not come inside to talk.” Graham bowed in invitation, his posture composed and elegant.
“I would very much like to believe you, unfortunately…” Anse had met Graham several times and had a good impression of him.
He turned to look at the street corner, where teams of guards parted the crowd and ran over quickly.
Quentin waved his large hand, and over a hundred guards surrounded the Iron Crown building.
Graham straightened up, expressionless, looking at Anse with some disappointment in his gaze: “President, you must think things through carefully. Don’t act solely on feeling.”
The crowd buzzed with discussion, and that rumor spread even faster. Many who hadn’t known before now heard about it.
However, the situation was better than imagined; almost no one believed he had assassinated the former president.
Because this new president was not only a Dragon Slayer but also a Paladin. In just a few days, he had already done a lot for Dulag.
Moreover, with the two of them standing at the door, people instinctively sided with Anse.
No matter how elegant Graham was, he was still within the scope of ordinary people. How could he compare to Anse’s mysterious charisma and invincible affinity?
Perhaps for a sorcerer, dispelling a rumor was just that simple and unadorned.
Of course, there were pros and cons; almost everyone thought he was involved with the lady of Jacqueline Castle.
Seeing Graham so calm, Anse almost doubted if he had been seeing things earlier.
Finn quietly came over and shook his head slightly at him: “No one left.”
Anse understood, raised his hand and pointed to the courtyard: “Councillor Graham, please help me with two things: first, have everyone line up and come out. Second, open the secret vault immediately, no delays.”
The middle-aged manager’s face changed drastically, and he scolded: “What right do you have to do this? We are a legitimate merchant guild, paying taxes according to the law…”
“Shut up!” Graham gave him a sharp glance. “Do it immediately.”
With that, he walked to one side of the door, leaned on his cane, and closed his eyes to rest.
The middle-aged manager’s eyes flickered, he leaned close to Graham and tried to whisper something, but was ignored by Graham.
He sighed inwardly and returned to the shop.
Giant Tail also led guards into the wooden building, blocking the warehouse door.
Moments later, chaotic footsteps sounded as merchant guild staff filed out one by one, heads down, lining up on the street with dejected expressions.
Anse scanned them one by one, frowning slightly. Everyone was normal, which was instead a bit abnormal.
“Is everyone here?” He looked at the middle-aged manager.
“Yes, yes, all here.” The manager nodded hurriedly.
Graham opened his eyes, scanned around, then knocked his cane on the ground with a thud, and said coldly: “Two are missing.”
“They took leave, sir.” The manager immediately lowered his head in response.
“Lying!” Graham’s face darkened, and he said sternly: “Call them all out! Where is Devon?”
“Young master…” The manager’s body went limp in fear, collapsing to the ground with a thud, his voice trembling: “In the secret vault.”
Graham kicked him over and gritted his teeth in anger: “Open the door.”
“The young master changed the lock; I can’t open it.” The manager kowtowed until his face was bloody but didn’t dare wipe it, lying sideways on the ground, shaking badly.
He knew he was finished. As soon as the other mentioned the secret vault, he knew the young master had caused big trouble, and his attempts to cover it up had all failed.
One side showed no mercy, the other believed himself to be righteous, leading to this situation.
Graham hurried inside, his steps urgent.
“That Mind Flayer isn’t his son, is it? The timing doesn’t match.” Anse felt Graham didn’t seem to be acting.
He dismounted, walked inside, and cast a Shield of Fire on himself. Ethereal flames wrapped around him like light gauze.
Quentin drew his longsword and followed at his side, asking quietly: “What did you find?”
“Mind Flayer.”
“What?” Quentin’s eyes widened, veins bulging on his sword arm.
“Evacuate the crowd; have the ordinary guards withdraw too.”
“Oh, alright.”
