"I think you might have some negative impressions of our Roth Fort, but I want to say that those are all misunderstandings."
Ferdinand, with a stern face, spoke earnestly, "In fact, The Lord Viscount had been under the control of this dangerous and evil wizard for a month. It was not until just now, when you bravely killed him, that The Lord Viscount was finally freed."
"Whether it was the recruitment of mercenaries to plunder Frostwater Harbor, or the attempt to use black fire to attack you. Without a doubt, all of it was the act of this fugitive!"
The man vehemently rebuked.
Yes, yes, Viscount sobered up and then directly called you out to the manor in the suburbs, immediately after which you and these officers used their once-in-a-lifetime teleportation ability to come directly back, I get it, I get it all...
Annan just nodded, his demeanor mild, signaling him to carry on with his performance:
"What I mean, my lord... I am not saying Frostwater Harbor is too poor, but The Lord Viscount, he controls the entirety of Roth Fort. He had no need to plunder Frostwater Harbor... don’t you agree?"
Ferdinand said in a low voice full of sorrow and seriousness, "And as for black fire—that’s even more outrageous. Who doesn’t know that black fire is absolutely forbidden? Not to mention that The Lord Viscount had fought on the battlefield before..."
"And moreover, my lord, you may not know... Viscount Barber and your grandfather had a very good relationship. They were close associates in battle, even saving each other’s lives. To you, he was like your biological grandfather, and he could never contemplate harming you."
——Are you cursing again?
Make it clear, who is my grandfather?
Annan’s smile became gentler.
The players standing by, after hearing Ferdinand’s explanation, began to hesitate and were uncertain.
They felt that perhaps Ferdinand’s words made some sense...
"I guess I understand now."
Annan’s reaction was extremely placid.
He just chuckled and said amiably with his eyes narrowed, "So, what The Lord Viscount means is that we should put our past grievances aside and unite, remaining good neighbors... and I can still be your lord, right?"
Although Ferdinand found Annan’s words somewhat sharp, he heard a softening tone in them and couldn’t help but relax.
Even if he got mocked a bit or had some passive-aggressive comments thrown his way, it didn’t matter.
As long as the matter could be resolved, that was all that mattered.
Thank heavens... Although the lord is very young, he still seems to understand all the subtext.
Viscount Barber’s stance was clear. My statement is laid out here. I don’t care if you believe it or not, but you "can believe it’s true," and therefore, all previous displeasures can be turned over and left uncounted.
Annan couldn’t help but laugh, squinting his eyes like a cat.
He felt a steady stream of pleasure rising from the bottom of his heart—
So it seems, humans are truly interesting.
...Where exactly does this nearly arrogant confidence of his come from?
"It seems, Mr. Ferdinand, that I only have this one choice,"
Annan politely responded, with an ever warmer and more approachable smile, creating an instant appeal, "It would be quite rude of me not to accept The Lord Viscount’s kindness..."
"Not at all. The Lord Viscount is a very kind man."
Ferdinand too just smiled amicably, taking Annan’s recent words as nothing more than a child’s fleeting temper.
Still not mature enough...
Seeing Annan reaching out his hand, Ferdinand also hurriedly leaned forward to respond, seizing Annan’s hand. His brown, cracked and calloused large hand seemed as though it could have snapped Annan’s wrist in an instant.
Annan’s voice suddenly lowered a few notches.
Ferdinand didn’t catch it clearly, somewhat bewildered, he repeated, "What?"
"—I happen to be someone who is not so good at taking hints."
Annan’s tone suddenly turned cold.
Although unsure whether a normal person should be angry at such a time, Annan thought it was an appropriate moment to assert some authority.
He suddenly opened his eyes wide, and there was not a trace of a smile in those ice-blue pupils:
"Therefore, I refuse."
A terrifying sense of crisis erupted instantly!
Ferdinand was struck with horror and shouted out loud.
He tried to pull his hand away from Annan’s grip — although it seemed unbalanced to describe it this way, Annan’s slender and soft hand held on to the deputy chief of the City Guard, Ferdinand’s wrist, like a vise!
The next moment, an indescribably frigid chill crept from Annan’s palm, and a layer of thin frost formed on Ferdinand’s arms in a blink of an eye.
His two arms lost all feeling immediately!
Annan felt not the slightest guilt for his sneak attack.
Out of respect for Ferdinand being the deputy chief of the City Guard, Annan had no intention to test his marksmanship or swordsmanship.
Even against such an unranked commoner, Annan took precautions and launched a surprise attack right from the start.
In the moment Ferdinand froze, a hand gracefully swept over the satchel and a bone-handled knife, sparkling with cold light, flew into his palm.
Annan then stepped forward, his hand erupting in a circle of crimson light—
In the blink of an eye, Deputy Chief Ferdinand’s head was severed by Annan in a direct strike!
Annan shouted the order.
The players who had been amiably chatting with the Roth Fort officers, pretending to help put out the fire, instantly changed their demeanor.
They quickly realized what had happened—
Without questioning Annan’s abrupt decision, without bargaining or the slightest doubt, they didn’t even hesitate when carrying out the command.
The moment they heard the order, they drew their weapons.
Like the most elite mercenaries or emotionless assassins, they launched a fierce attack on the City Guards they had just been conversing with!
The City Guards, armed with guns and swords, were caught completely off guard and more than half were killed instantly in the ambush, with the death toll still rising.
But a gunman disguised as an officer did not hesitate to draw his gun and aim at Annan!
A nearby player noticed him, but it was too late to stop him. He could only throw his weapon at the gunman, piercing his skull!
However, before his death, the gunman had already pulled the trigger!
The cry from Jiu’er came.
The next moment, without hesitation, she charged from the side and hurled herself into Annan’s arms, forcefully pushing him away.
A burst of blood blossomed from her back.
A lead bullet—remarkably precise, or rather, coincidentally—struck her lung.
If she hadn’t pushed Annan away, that shot would have hit Annan’s heart perfectly.
Jiu’er coughed up blood, seeing her health plummet by four-fifths... but before she could collapse, enter a dying state, Annan promptly supported her.
"Jiu’er! Jiu’er! Are you alright?"
Annan furrowed his brows, anxiously shaking Jiu’er vigorously a couple of times, inadvertently draining what little health she had left.
Jiu’er coughed up a mouthful of blood, died on the spot, and respawned immediately.
When she opened her eyes again, she saw her health had fully recovered. The lead bullet in her lung had also disappeared.
But seeing the rage and concern hidden in Annan’s eyes, Jiu’er felt a stir in her heart and, coughing weakly, she rested on him and whispered faintly, "I feel... Young Master... I probably... won’t make it..."
Annan instinctively looked at her full health bar above her head, falling silent for a moment.
To say you’re overdoing it would be an understatement...
Tsk, had I known you were so dramatic, I would have reacted more when we killed those controlled players earlier. It feels a bit off that I’m only concerned about you and not them...
Well, it’s fine, I suppose. It’s not a serious plot hole, and as long as it can fool Salvatore and anyone else who might be watching, that’s enough.
... Still, I need to tweak the backstory a bit.
Annan sighed inwardly.
At least the girl isn’t a fool, it’s good that she knows how to play along...
Various expressions crossed Annan’s face, finally settling into one of pain bordering on hatred. He slowly knelt down, laying Jiu’er gently on the ground.
He suddenly raised his head, his ice-blue pupils seeming to burn with fire.
Yet he did not scream hysterically or roar senselessly. His appearance, reminiscent of an injured cub, made Jiu’er’s heart tremble slightly, vaguely regretting that she should not have taken advantage of him by pretending ...
However, she was also subtly moved.
It was not the game’s storyline that touched her, nor was it merely Annan’s looks that made her fall for him... but a deeper, heartfelt tremor.
Seeing someone so anxious and fearful for one’s own sake...
She forgot to continue her pained cries and instead focused intently on Annan’s expression.
With Annan’s heavy breathing, gray-white frost began to rise from the ground once more. The ground that had just started to thaw froze over again, centering around Annan.
It was then that Salvatore, who had been closing his eyes, concentrating on transforming the Black Fire, suddenly opened his eyes, belatedly realizing what happened.
Was that... a gunshot just now?
He turned around only to catch the sight of Annan kneeling down while supporting his attendant.
Upon witnessing the scene, Salvatore’s pupils shrank, his body trembling.
His right hand subconsciously grabbed the hammer in his pocket, uncertain what to do next.
...What’s happened again?