A Pawn's Passage

Could an Enforcer who would strike with the intent to smash someone’s head and even dare to extort a gang leader be considered a good person in the traditional sense?

Although Qi Xuansu was not the real Baron and had no intention of investigating who was right or wrong between the Baron and the councilman, he still intended to give this Enforcer a small lesson.

Qi Xuansu stood up and lifted Ross high into the air with a single hand. Ross had been fully modified by Arcane Alchemy, so he was essentially half steel and considerably heavier. Yet Qi Xuansu lifted him effortlessly, no different from grabbing Little Yin by the back of her collar.

Then Qi Xuansu seized Ross’s left arm and yanked it. Amid the Enforcer’s heart-rending scream, the prosthetic arm was torn off by brute force. The metal pipes connecting it were ripped apart, and gears of various sizes fell from the broken stump. There was no blood, only black fluid and steam.

Qi Xuansu tossed both Ross and the severed arm onto the floor, looking down at him from above.

Even amidst the intense pain, Ross felt shock. How could the Baron possess such overwhelming strength? Could that rumor actually be true?

If he had fought the Baron and been defeated after a fierce battle, Ross would not have been so shocked. His advantage over the four gang leaders did not lie in strength but in status. After all, he was an Enforcer recognized by the City Council. The council’s loose control over the Lower District was a matter of choice, not inability. There was no such thing as the council being afraid to enter the Lower District. Under such circumstances, the four gang leaders naturally avoided direct conflict with him.

What he had never expected was that the Baron would crush him head-on without the slightest flourish. It was obvious that the Baron had not even used his full strength, yet Ross had no power to resist.

Such power was far beyond Ross’s understanding. If the Baron truly possessed this level of strength, there would no longer be talk of the “four respected gentlemen.” The Lower District would have only a single ruler. The Baron would no longer be merely a baron. Perhaps a Duke would suit him better, or King of the Lower District.

Ross was not the only one shocked. The old butler was equally stunned.

The old butler had personally brought Qi Xuansu to the Baron’s residence and handled the entire arrangement himself. He should have been the one who understood Hosea’s background best, yet he suddenly realized that he had been completely mistaken. He had no understanding of Hosea’s true background.

Realizing this, the old butler felt a chill run down his spine.

Among the four gentlemen, the Baron was not known for physical strength. Yet even in the magical arts, which were his supposed specialty, it would have been impossible for him to melt five steam Enforcers into molten metal with a mere wave of his hand, not to mention that brutal yet strangely elegant display of raw physical power.

Even the Hound, famed throughout the Lower District for his strength, could not tear off a Proto-Demigod-level prosthetic arm with bare hands alone. Even if the Hound relied on certain special methods and paid a price to achieve such a feat, he could never do it with this kind of effortless ease.

Who exactly was Hosea?

The look in the old butler’s eyes no longer held anger or dissatisfaction. Even his shock gradually faded, leaving only fear.

It was like a fairy tale in which an ignorant child unknowingly brought a devil into his home.

Ross felt a heavy weight in his heart. Instead of erupting in anger, he asked in a hoarse voice, “Baron...could that rumor be true?”

Recently, rumors had spread that the Baron had uncovered a ruin in an abandoned mine in the Lower District. Of course, it was not a Western ruin. Westerners were newcomers here, with far too short a history. Perhaps in a few hundred years, St. York might become a Western ruin, but for now, there were no Western ruins in the New Continent.

The ruin came from the natives of the New Continent. Strictly speaking, it was a tomb.

It was well known that the New Continent once had three great empires. They shared a common origin and influenced one another, yet they were also vastly different. Today, those three empires and civilizations had been forcibly fused, like melting three iron cans into molten metal and casting them into a single new can. The Westerners who swept through the three empires were the ones who melted the cans. The Easterners who helped the natives establish the Tawantin Empire were the ones who recast the new can.

This led to chaos within the Tawantin Empire’s belief systems. Their gods were warring endlessly, and nobles were constantly competing for power and profit.

This tomb belonged to a priest of Kukulkan, a native Ancient God of the New Continent who bore many forms. One of these forms was a giant feathered serpent, so he was also known as the Feathered Serpent God.

In the mythology of the New Continent, he was the Sun God and the leader of the gods.

However, the divine office of Sun God was fiercely contested and perhaps the most frequently fallen among deities worldwide. Examples included True Lord Taiyang, the Vairocana, Izanagi, and Himiko, as well as Apollo and Amun. As of today, the only Sun Gods certainly not fallen were Vairocana and Himiko. The others were uncertain. The Vairocana was suspected to have already left the mortal world. Sun Gods still active in the mortal world had become increasingly rare.

Rumor had it that the Baron had obtained a divine artifact left behind by a priest of the Sun God.

The sun was closely tied to fire. Could the flames that melted the steam Enforcers into molten metal be the power of the Sun God Kukulkan? Was this the source of the Baron’s terrifying strength?

Thinking of this, Ross became increasingly convinced that he had glimpsed the truth.

The reason the Baron had become so powerful was precisely because he had obtained Kukulkan’s artifact.

Ross’s emotions surged.

It seemed the Baron had been intoxicated by this sudden power. How could a rat from the Lower District dare dream of owning a divine artifact? Of course, Ross himself could not take the artifact from the Baron. But if he reported this matter to the Holy Court, the Patriarch and the Cardinal Bishop would certainly be interested.

But Ross’s excitement did not last long. He suddenly realized another problem. Perhaps the Patriarch could easily destroy the Baron, but Ross himself would never live to see that day. Now that the Baron had exposed the fact that he possessed a divine artifact, why would he allow Ross to leave so as to report it to the Holy Court?

In normal circumstances, the Baron might hesitate to kill him because of his official status. But when life and death were at stake, how could the Baron possibly hold back?

At this thought, Ross felt his whole body turn cold, filled with despair.

Meanwhile, the old butler thought of another possibility.

None of this was a coincidence. It was careful planning for a perfect trap, and he was the poor fool who had walked straight into it.

This terrifying figure who called himself Hosea Matthias had come specifically for the Baron.

He knew the Baron’s secret.

In truth, Qi Xuansu had not thought that far ahead. His bold actions were simply meant as probing moves to test the waters. He was just taking a few swings to see if anything would fall. After all, he could not simply keep playing the Baron and obediently do whatever the butler told him. That would make no sense.

Qi Xuansu asking Monica what help she needed and his vague reprimand of Micah were both meant to observe their reactions. However, it seemed that neither of them truly knew the inside story.

His violent handling of Ross was deliberate as well. Although Qi Xuansu did not know the exact details, judging from the dramatic emotional shifts of Ross and the old butler, there was clearly a great deal hidden beneath the surface.

Just as Ross had anticipated, Qi Xuansu did not intend to let him leave. Though the outcome was the same, the reason was different. Qi Xuansu did not want to silence him. He merely wanted to learn more.

Qi Xuansu did not answer Ross’s question. Instead, he raised a finger and pointed, rendering Ross unable to move.

Then Qi Xuansu instructed the subordinates outside to come in and escort Mr. Ross down to the basement.

These subordinates knew nothing of the inside story and believed Qi Xuansu to be the real Baron. Though the Baron had suddenly gained strength far beyond what he had before, it was hardly a bad thing for them. Naturally, they obeyed Qi Xuansu’s orders.

Soon, the hall contained only Qi Xuansu and the old butler, apart from a massive lump of solidified iron that had once been molten metal.

The old butler’s lips trembled slightly. After a long time, he finally spoke with difficulty. “Who are you?”

“I am the Baron,” Qi Xuansu replied. “Ramon Oxley.”

At that moment, Madam Wu appeared atop the iron mass. “That’s enough. You’re getting addicted to this acting. There’s clearly something going on here.”

“Of course I know,” Qi Xuansu replied to Madam Wu. “This is our unexpected gain. It proves this trip wasn’t wasted.”

Qi Xuansu then turned back to the butler. “Just now, Enforcer Ross mentioned a rumor. What is it?”

The old butler was silent for a moment before forcing a professional smile. “My lord, rumors end with the wise.”

Qi Xuansu snorted. “That statement practically places me among the fools.”

The butler froze, feeling immense pressure. It was like a mortal facing a dragon.

Suppressing anger was, in truth, simply controlling one’s emotions.

For a competent leader, anger was meant to express a stance, not vent emotion. For instance, when Zhang Yuelu scolded Little Yin, it did not necessarily mean she was truly that angry. The key was to display a firm attitude and pair it with appropriate punishment so that Little Yin remembers the lesson. Otherwise, Little Yin would make the same mistake again and again.

Qi Xuansu understood this principle well. Thus, he did not raise his voice or speak harshly. He simply conversed calmly, showing no clear stance. Yet this only made the butler feel increasingly uneasy.

After a while, the butler could no longer endure the pressure. “Part of that rumor is true.”

Qi Xuansu nodded slightly. “Go on.”

The old butler took a deep breath. “The Baron did indeed discover a great tomb belonging to the natives. It was the tomb of a Kukulkan priest. But the Baron did not obtain any divine artifact.”