Chapter 214: A Rotten and Filthy World (Part 4)
“Ugh… just kill me…” Ronald’s voice was filled with misery.
His reaction, like a frightened bird, surprised even Qin Chu.
Good heavens, what did this guy go through in the Demon Beast territory?
But then he remembered Lomond saying that he had arranged for a few thousand Demon Beasts to “entertain” Ronald… or rather, for Ronald to entertain a few thousand Demon Beasts.
It was understandable that he was completely broken, his reaction so extreme.
Although his diet had been…varied… Ronald was probably stuffed to the point of wanting to die.
Qin Chu wasn’t in a hurry to kill him. Although he knew that a quick death would be the most merciful, it wouldn’t be as satisfying.
When you possessed overwhelming power, you could afford to play with your food. And villains didn’t die from talking too much… He was probably considered a villain in this world, anyway.
He wasn’t a good person, not in this life.
In the human world, he had deliberately planted the seeds of rebellion in Barnal’s mind, repeatedly emphasizing the ninety-three thousand deaths caused by the nobles’ greed.
And O’Niens had been a helpful idiot, further fueling the soldiers’ resentment.
He hadn’t intended to incite a rebellion against the Auville Empire and overthrow the nobility. That was meaningless to him.
What he wanted was chaos.
The more chaos there was, the less attention he would attract.
It was the same with the Demon Beasts. Originally, the First and Second Princes were the strongest, and the Second Prince, recognizing the situation, had chosen to submit to the First. There wasn’t much conflict within the Demon Beast ranks.
Now, Qin Chu was deliberately supporting Lomond, creating ripples in the otherwise calm waters. If Lomond was capable enough, perhaps he could turn those ripples into a tsunami.
By then, the human world would be in chaos due to the conflict between the commoners and the nobles.
And the Demon Beasts would be fighting amongst themselves for the position of heir.
And yet, the leader of the human commoners would be grateful to Qin Chu for his help and guidance, while the nobles would rely on the Hero.
And Lomond would see him as his most important partner.
No one would know that this Hero was the one fanning the flames of conflict!
Just thinking about it was amusing.
But before that, he had to deal with Ronald.
The Noble Swordsman was curled up in a ball, trembling, his eyes wide and unfocused.
He seemed to be seeing something, countless ferocious, grotesque Demon Beasts lunging towards him. He screamed uncontrollably.
As if he were back in the depths of hell.
He screamed like a madman.
Qin Chu wasn’t in a hurry. He just watched silently, wanting to see how far Ronald would fall.
After a long time, Ronald seemed to finally realize that what he was seeing were just illusions, and his mind calmed slightly.
Then he realized that he was no longer in the cage, but in a forest.
And the leering Demon Beasts were gone.
Although he didn’t know why, it seemed that he had finally escaped.
A wave of sorrow washed over him.
He was a noble, a member of the Hero Squad! A person of high status and great power!
Those Demon Beasts used to tremble before him, fearing for their lives.
But now, he had been treated like a monkey in a cage, put on display for their amusement, subjected to their cruel torments. All his dignity, all his glory, all his pride, had been stripped away. Even the lowliest beggar in the Imperial City hadn’t suffered such humiliation.
And his Battle Qi had been completely shattered by that bastard Lomond, even his Battle Origin destroyed.
A lifetime of cultivation, gone.
For a swordsman, this was the most unbearable fate.
With his Battle Origin destroyed, it would be incredibly difficult to cultivate again, and even if he spent his entire life trying, he might never reach his former heights.
He had fallen from the pinnacle of heaven to the deepest depths of hell. The drastic change was too much to bear, and Ronald broke down, sobbing uncontrollably.
At least there was no one here to witness his shame.
He hugged himself, his body shaking like a leaf.
His pathetic state even made the usually ruthless Qin Chu feel a twinge of… pity?
He kindly offered him a tissue, “There, there, don’t cry. It’s all over now. Wipe your tears.”
“Oh, thank you,” Ronald said instinctively, taking the tissue and wiping his face.
Then he suddenly realized that there was someone else here.
Without his Battle Qi, he hadn’t even sensed their approach.
He opened his eyes, his mind still muddled, and saw a slender, handsome young man standing before him.
Of course, in terms of looks, Ronald was confident that he was superior.
This mysterious young man puzzled him. Although he was in a sorry state, Ronald still tried to maintain his composure.
He smoothed his few remaining strands of hair, stood up, and bowed gracefully to Qin Chu, “Sir, did you save me?”
“May I ask which noble family you belong to? I will definitely visit you to express my gratitude.”
But he frowned slightly.
It seemed that he had escaped from the Demon Beast territory, but his problems weren’t over… His Battle Origin was destroyed, he was a cripple now.
But as long as he was alive, even without his power, as a former member of the Hero Squad, he could still enjoy the highest treatment in the Empire, his future secured.
However, if what he had endured in the Demon Beast territory were to be revealed, he would become a laughingstock.
People would even see him as a disgrace. As long as he lived, this shame would follow him, and then one day, he would suddenly die from an “illness,” or perhaps commit suicide…
As a native of this world, Ronald understood how rotten and filthy it was better than anyone.
Therefore, what he had experienced had to remain a secret, never to be revealed… If this person before him had saved him, then he must also know what he had endured.
To keep his secret safe, he had to kill him…
This world was rotten and filthy, and so was Ronald.
A surge of killing intent filled his heart, but then he remembered that he was a cripple now, powerless. And this man, who had saved him from the Demon Beast territory, must be quite strong, right?
He felt a sense of despair. He didn’t have the strength to kill this person, even though he didn’t sense any Mana or Battle Qi from him.
Qin Chu, noticing the change in Ronald’s eyes, sneered inwardly. As expected, even without the betrayal, Ronald was definitely not a good person.
Qin Chu suddenly felt that what Ronald had endured in Lomond’s territory wasn’t enough. He should let him enjoy it for a few more days.
Although he mocked him inwardly, Qin Chu’s face remained calm. He just tilted his head and smiled, “A noble? Ah, no, I’m not a noble.”
“I’m just a passerby.”
Not even a noble?
A hint of disdain appeared in Ronald’s eyes. After all, in this world, only nobles were considered human.
“And I didn’t save you. I just saw you lying in the forest and woke you up,” Qin Chu said.
Ronald was relieved.
Could it be that the Demon Beasts thought he was already dead and just dumped his body in the forest? It was very likely. Although humans were food to Demon Beasts, he had been so filthy and stinking at that time that even they might not have been able to stomach him.
Unexpectedly, that filth had saved his life.
So, this person wasn’t his savior at all. He hadn’t done anything.
Then he shouldn’t know what he had endured in the Demon Beast territory.
This reassured Ronald, but to be safe, he still had to eliminate this person.
A mere passerby, not a noble, with no powerful Battle Qi or Mana fluctuations… Although he was a cripple now, he still had his combat experience. Killing him shouldn’t be too difficult.
In short, Ronald wouldn’t leave any possibility of his secret being revealed.
As malicious thoughts swirled in his mind, he said, “Oh, is that so? Even so, I still have to thank you…”
His tone was unconsciously tinged with arrogance.
Qin Chu didn’t mind and just smiled faintly, “By the way, you just said you couldn’t eat anymore?”
Ugh!
Ronald’s face turned pale, and his stomach churned. He felt a strong urge to vomit. This damned guy had reminded him of some very unpleasant memories.
Then he suddenly saw something being tossed up and down in Qin Chu’s hand. It was his storage ring.
Jie Luo’s soul fragment was inside.
He suppressed his killing intent and narrowed his eyes, “Sir, that storage ring is mine. Can you return it to me?”
“Of course…” Qin Chu readily tossed the ring to Ronald.
Using a storage ring didn’t require Mana, and Ronald could still open it. But he immediately noticed that the Mana, Saint Quartz, magic scrolls, and other things inside were all gone.
Most importantly, Jie Luo’s soul fragment was also missing.
This made Ronald tremble. Could it be that everything had been taken by that bastard Lomond?
He remembered that Lomond had taken his storage ring immediately after capturing him… It seemed that his wealth and Lord Jie Luo’s soul fragment had all fallen into Lomond’s hands. Thinking that all his hard work and humiliation had been in vain, Ronald felt a deep sense of despair.
“Are you looking for this?” Qin Chu smiled and took out a crystal.
Seeing the thing in Qin Chu’s hand, Ronald’s pupils constricted, and he couldn’t help but scream, “Why is it in your hand?!”
Qin Chu didn’t answer. He placed his hand on his chest and bowed gracefully:
“By the way, esteemed… Cloudy Swordsman… ah, no, Noble Swordsman Ronald, I haven’t introduced myself. How rude of me.”
“It’s a pleasure to meet you. My name is Qin Chu.”
“I’m the Second Hero.”
Hum…
Ronald’s mind went blank, his face ashen.
The Second Hero?
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