You will never obtain the soul by slaying someone yourself and only souls that are received through transactions can be tributed---The second rule concerning the transactions of the club.
If someone is malicious, the boss will have the right to wipe them out--- The tenth rule concerning the transactions of the club.
…
…
After the well opened, part of the stone stairs leading down to the underground could be seen. After waiting a while for the air inside to be ventilated, Jonathan walked in carrying an oil lamp.
The old steward stayed at the entrance. With a humble attitude, he said, “Masters and Misses, come in please.”
Kista’s look turned tense. He was the first to stick behind Jonathan and enter. All the others followed and went along the stone stairs behind him.
Whereas the steward didn’t enter but waited at the entrance of the old well instead.
“There was actually such a basement in the old castle.”
“Seems like it has been around for hundreds of years.”
“Maybe even more than that.”
The bottom was approximately 13 meters below the first floor. There was only a one-person-wide tunnel and 20-30 meters ahead, an iron door was set there, abounded with rust due to perpetual humidity.
Jonathan opened the door and everyone followed him.
This place was spacious.
It was constructed in a circular area, with 12 stone columns set at edges for support. This space was about 300 meters square and there were numerous similar figures carved on the circular walls.
The one dressed in old-style armor and holding swords in both hands… was a leader of the Ceaucescu Family from some previous generation. There also seemed to be many of the leaders’ portraits of previous generations in the castle.
The strangest thing was a sarcophagus had been placed impressively on the podium of the 3rd level, at the center of the underground space.
Jonathan turned around suddenly, stepping into the doorway, then said calmly, “All of you sit down… don’t speak, I’ll be back in half an hour and then choose one among you all as the successor.”
With this, Jonathan closed the iron gate, ignoring questions asked by these young ones.
The rule that handed down was to seal the devil at the cost of the descendant’s soul. However, the time it could be sealed was limited.
Therefore their lives were calculated to find one with the longest sealing time. When the seal expired, the sealer’s life would end.
Only those who were young and with a powerful soul would be able to obtain the longest sealing time. For the young, it meant to pick a descendant who was under 30.
As for the powerful soul…
During these hundreds of years, the devil had intended to escape from the seal. It cursed all the Ceaucescu Family. As long as those later generations with powerful souls got close, it would be easy to hear the devil’s whisper or for the minor ones, they would be uneasy and see several freakish illusions.
The time was kept within half an hour because even if they could listen and see the devil they wouldn’t go so far as to be affected. Of course, they were told to keep silent at the beginning, to prevent them from realizing the secret of selecting the successor among the chosen descendants. If they knew it before, they might pretend to meet the condition so that they could be the successor. All in all, the one with the most serious response would be the eligible successor---Over hundreds of years, the Ceaucescu Family had complied with this ancient rule.
Jonathan did it 30 years ago, and so did his uncle earlier as well.
They were compelled to do it this way. At the very start, the rule had been set due to his ancestor’s anger; however, along with the endless pain that the devil was suffering, the whole Ceaucescu Family had no choice but to continue using this way.
Year after year, the infinite pain had accumulated, increasing the demon’s resentment to the Ceaucescu Family. If the soul was not pure, it would have a bad effect on the sealing strength, which would give the devil the opportunity to flee. This would result in a fatal blow to the Ceaucescu Family.
After all, that trading place would only help them on the condition of obtaining a worthy transaction fee. Simply put, one gets what one pays for.
“Before the sun rises.” Jonathan calculated the time silently.
Abruptly, sounds of footsteps came from the front. Jonathan couldn’t help frowning… ‘Who is coming? The steward? No, he shouldn’t be here.’
In front of him, a youth with an old lamp appeared. Jonathan was shocked and wrinkled his brows, “Osmond? Why did you come here?”
Osmond said coolly while gazing at Jonathan. “You… don’t want me to join?”
Jonathan frowned. “None of your business. Go back.”
Osmond sneered suddenly. “Sure enough… some dark issues are hidden here, aren’t it?”
“Get out!” Jonathan roared in a low voice. “This is not where you should come!”
“Why? Are you afraid that I would know about the matters you hide, those which are dirty, ignoble and even devoid of humanity?” Osmond walked close step by step.
Jonathan wanted to say something, yet a scream was heard from the gate direction… an angry scream.
A loud yell.
Jonathan’s expression had a slight change and opened the door rapidly. There was no time to focus on Osmond.
The scene in front of him made him extremely frightened.
What did he see?
Several had fallen in a pool of blood… they were all female. Meanwhile, one fellow had been being pressed down on the ground by the rest…There was a dagger in his hand.
Bloodstained.
And going mad.
“Let me go! Let me go! Only the living person, can get the heritage of the Ceaucescu Family! You guys! Must die!!”
The young guy that was pressed down was yelling like crazy!
Jonathan thought it was inconceivable… Could it be said that the devil’s whisper or illusion was so forceful that it made them lose their mind within a blink of eyes?
No… He could hear the low voice of the devil as if releasing mocking laughter.
It was not a trick, but… seemed like a wonderful drama he was watching! Jonathan could sense it… because he was the latest sealer!
Not only the one pressed on the ground, others also showed hideous expressions on their faces. As if they were all bewitched.
Red! Their eyes turned a demonic red.
“Crazy… Stop them!” Jonathan shouted loudly at this moment. “Stop them quickly! Who can do it… Kista! Kista!”
He was old. Now he gazed at Kista, who was lowering his head and maintaining silence.
“Do you want to die as well?” Unexpectedly, Kista raised his head, staring at his grandfather with hatred in his eyes. “What an evil-minded old man… Are you happy seeing all of us being buried here?”
“Kista, what kind of b*llshit are you talking about?”
“B*llshit?” Kista’s eyes turned dark red and his body trembled, like those crazy youngsters, “I heard that… I heard that… A demon hides here… As expected, the secret of the Ceaucescu Family! As expected, your selfishness! You old fart’s selfishness!”
“I don’t understand what you’re talking about.” Jonathan deeply breathed, saying in a low voice. “Obviously you lost your mind as well but I need you to wake up, now!”
“Hahahaha! Osmond! Osmond!” Kista pointed at Osmond, who stood behind Jonathan, sneering, “There was definitely no event to select the successor! You’ve determined the successor before… And you asked us to come here, is merely for filling up the demon’s desire by taking away our lives, as the ancient family instructions! And then, Osmond can easily gain everything belongs to the Ceaucescu Family!”
“I don’t know what you’re saying,” Jonathan replied with anger. “I haven’t even selected the successor!”
“No?” Kista sneered, “Do you still deny it? Then why didn’t you ask Osmond to come? Do you think he’s not a member of this family?”
“This is not what you should pay attention to. Now, stop everything that is happening here!”
Kista burst into laughter, “You dare not say anymore, right? You dare not speak the truth, right? You dare not say… that Osmond isn’t your grandson at all! Instead, he’s your own son, right? You don’t dare to say that you got your daughter pregnant due to your dirty and perverted nature, right?”
“You…” Jonathan’s expression underwent an extreme change. Suddenly he could not breathe and grasped his own chest in pain.
“You feel guilty, right? You are going to die soon, right? Because you will die soon, you made such a decision right? You knew… that Osmond is the most appropriate person! Nevertheless, you don’t want him to bear the burden of the Ceaucescu Family! So you rather sacrifice us!”
“Bull…”
Jonathan was not able to complete a sentence. He felt a heart-wrenching pain as soon as he started to talk.
“You’re a vicious old man… I won’t let my destiny be under your control!” Both of Kista’s eyes turned entirely red. “I won’t give up everything that belongs to me! The persons that should pay those debts… are you guys!”
With this, Kista rushed over to Jonathan insanely. A knife was hidden in his sleeve.
The knife then plunged into Jonathan’s belly, then trembled.
Jonathan’s pupils dilated, falling down on the ground eventually. He sensed the last of his life fade away rapidly and saw Kista turned around and pounce on Osmond.
Osmond was terrified in that instant!
…
…
“Well… how wonderful the sound is.”
At the entrance, Ms. Puppet brushed her hair behind her ears and made a pose of listening carefully to the sound.
She looked back at Luo Qiu with a faint smile, “I haven’t listened to such an amazing sound in so long.”
Though they hadn’t known each other for long, but Boss Luo had a feeling that he had just gotten to know her. Luo Qiu took a glance at the old steward who fell down by the side.
He witnessed the whole process where Osmond knocked him out before walking in.
His hearing abilities weren’t as sensitive as You Ye’s. However, from the puppet’s slightly joyful expression, he realized something wonderful was happening inside.
“Let’s go down to have a look.”
‘Just confront it directly if it’s the seed of discord sown by the club hundreds of years ago.’
Just as he was thinking of this, You Ye turned her head a little bit. Luo Qiu also swiveled around once he felt something.
A nun was walking on the grass slowly towards them.
“Unexpectedly there are some other customers in such a desolate place,” the nun said lightly.
Some information from You Ye about the Black Religious Congregation arose in Luo Qiu’s mind. He stepped back to make way, saying calmly, “We are merely spectators for now, with no intention to take part in the matters happening inside.”
The nun suddenly said, “Do you mean, whatever I do, you two will not react. Is that correct?”
Luo Qiu nodded.
‘I’m just here for collecting debts…’
“But those words seem unbelievable…” The nun sneered. “Especially when said by the guy who hides the head but shows the tail.”
Luo Qiu shook his head, planning to take action. Therefore, he made way for her to gain access to the path to the underground chamber.
The nun fell silent for a minute. She walked straightway to the entrance of the old well.
As she passed by Luo Qiu, she suddenly bent down into a half squat position; meanwhile, at this moment, the hemline of her nun robe rose.
The items hidden by her lithe and graceful legs were not silk stockings. Instead, it was a black gun case---a pistol was bound to it.
She drew it out.
These fluid actions had been achieved at an instant.
Watching this in close range, the first impression Luo Qiu had was… how cool.
Whereas the moment this nun drew out the silver pistol hidden on her leg and pointing at Luo Qiu with a lightning speed, it was also the instant flew out.
The reason was that, at the instant the nun pointed the gun towards Luo Qiu, Ms. Puppet from the club unleashed a side kick on the nun’s body, making her fly into the air from the kick.
Just as Boss Luo sigh of admiration arose, another impression came crashing down on him as he watched the scene in front of him---‘This nun, seems like a finch…’
The powerful kick made the nun fly out. Yet she regained balance very soon, stretching out her legs and landing, then crouching down to balance out the inertia.
However, it wasn’t over yet.
Lamias looked at the woman dressed in maid clothes, whom could be regarded as a tall and slim individual in the eyes of easterners’. Nonetheless, judging by a Westerner’s perspective, she seemed relatively thin and weak.
Yet, she was able to burst into such a monstrous power.
Lamias dared not to be careless---anyway, it was of no avail to consider whether she was careless or not. Since at the moment she came to a halt, her opponent launched an attack once more.
As if the opponent disdained using her hands to attack, this time it was another violent kick.
Lamias was merely able to cross her arms to block the kick with terrifying force…This time, the attack seemed more terrifying. Lamias even felt as if the bones in her hand were broken. At the same time, she couldn’t hold the silver pistol steadily due to the second kick.
The pistol had been flung up into the air and after making an arc, it fell into Luo Qiu’s hand.
In a beat of an eye, Lamias realized she had fallen into a bad position. However, she was still calm, directing all her focus to every action of You Ye’s.
Too fast… even beyond a human being’s speed. Lamias had to admit, she couldn’t catch her actions even though she had received a high-intensity training and obtained a relatively able-bodied physique.
Lamias frowned secretly, holding out her hand to grasp the silver cross on her neck---if possible, she was unwilling to use the item hidden in the cross.
Nevertheless, the fact was that there was not enough time left for her because every movement of hers was totally under the control of You Ye.
A terrifying strike which was out of Lamia’s reaction speed struck her stomach again.
She lost her consciousness in an instant.
“OK, that’s the end.”
You Ye didn’t question anything, merely returning to Luo Qiu’s back.
Luo Qiu looked at the nun, weighing the pistol in his hand, “It’s a revolver with 10 shots, and much heavier than normal ones. The amount of bullet it can hold has been increased while its power remains the same… but nothing changed except the exterior which looks even better than before. Well, it would look even better if it’s loaded with bullets.”
With this, Luo Qiu intended to coolly to snap out the bullet chamber but found that he was not skillful enough to achieve this action; therefore, his actions amounted to nothing.
Drawing a gun and pointing it at a person; however, there were no bullets in the chamber. The reason was either due to her negligence or that she had no intention of murder. He felt it was more likely to be the latter one. It could also be due to her inquisitive mind that was courting death and wanted to take on ‘the two weird guys.’
Boss Luo passed this converted revolver to You Ye, saying calmly, “Alter a little of her memory making as if she didn’t see us… I want to see her true purpose.”
You Ye nodded. She then walked over to Lamias and pointed at her forehead.
At this moment, Luo Qiu said, “Let’s leave the Black Religious Congregation alone for now.”
“OK.” You Ye gave a slight nod. “It has been left loose for a hundred years, ten more years won’t matter. Or it would be better to say that after ten more years, there will be more superior customers.”
Luo Qiu didn’t give his answer and then started using his gaze to sweep the ground. Several seconds later, after walking a few steps, Luo Qiu bent down to pick up a Speedloader on the grass. “It dropped from her petticoat just now.”
You Ye walked to Luo Qiu, handing over the revolver. Luo Qiu filled the bullets into the chamber with unskilled actions, then took aim at something randomly.
“That miss didn’t seem to want it back. Right?”
“It belongs to master,” You Ye said the sentence that Luo Qiu longed to hear. “Think of it as a trophy or compensation because this nun knocked into master.”
You Ye was so great and thoughtful.
…
…
Lamias frowned, massaging her forehead at a loss. She checked around cautiously… but found no one else.
Yet, due to good training throughout the years, she still sensed something amiss. Lamias reached for the pistol tied on her leg automatically.
The carry-on weapon was missing… while she was standing at the entrance of the old well.
There was a 3-5 minute blank in her memory.
What she could only recall during this blank period was… being absent-minded.
What on earth happened?
Whereas, from the indistinct sound from the underground chamber, Lamias realized she could not continue to waste time any longer.
Lamias ran down the long stairs with agile movements, arriving at the doorway of the chamber.
A strong bloody smell could be tasted in the air. Several youngsters were killing each other. Though blood was oozing from their bodies, they seemed to sense no pain---Only death awaited them.
Osmond was having a dogfight with Kista and many dagger wounds could be seen on his body. At present, he was pushed against the wall by Kista.
He was trying his best to resist and stop the dagger from piercing his own heart… but it seemed like he wouldn’t be able to last much longer.
Lamias expressed no pause or hesitation, walking over there at a rapid pace.
“It’s you!” Kista glanced at her with a shocked expression.
At about the same time, Lamias attacked with lightning speed, using her palm to chop Kista’s arm and grabbing the dagger from his hand.
There was no pause in her actions. The very next second, she grasped Osmond’s hand, which was grabbing the dagger and stabbing it towards Kista’s chest.
Fresh blood spewed out.
Osmond felt his wrist start to spin with Lamias’s help… he was rotating the inserted dagger at Kista’s chest!
Kista let out a screech as if he lost his head, saying with sad and shrill words, “You… you said you’ll help me.”
“That’s right, God said that those who commit suicide can’t get into the heaven.” Lamias wiped away the bloodstain on her face, “So I helped lower the possibility of you not entering heaven.”
Ah---!!
Witnessing Kista’s collapse, Osmond fell into a fit of panic all at once… Not only himself, it seemed this nun called Lamias had also met with Kista.
“What’s your real identity?”
Lamias acted as if she didn’t hear this, walking straight to Jonathan. The Jonathan who was on his last legs, watched the nun approaching and moved his body subconsciously.
“Are you leading to this tragedy?” Jonathan asked her weakly.
Lamias sneered… the sneer was enough to show what she meant.
“What’s… your purpose…” Jonathan was shocked and furious. “Don’t tell me it is for the devil...?”
Lamias answered stonily, “Am I crazy? Set free the so-called Impaling Duke?”
“But why would you…”
Lamias took off her veil suddenly, showing her real appearance.
When he saw Lamias’ appearance, Jonathan seemed to go back to many years ago, saying blankly, “Fair… You’re Fair…”
“Sorry, I’m just her daughter,” Lamias said without emotion. “23 years… It’s time to pay for your original sin. You are killed by your grandson, watching your own descendants crazily murder each other. Can you feel the sadness and desperation as if falling into an endless hell?”
Lamias squatted in front of Jonathan, narrowing her eyes while speaking softly in his ear, “Feel this desperation… feel the despair of a woman who had a spouse but was raped by her most respected adoptive father...”
At that moment, Jonathan’s face became ashen. His eyes were full of infinite regret and guilt. He then stopped struggling, letting his body lie down.
He gazed at the ceiling in a trance, with trembling lips. No one knew what he was saying… At the end of his life, it could be regret or resentment.
Lamias put her palms together in a praying gesture. After standing up she whispered to Jonathan.
Everyone had already fallen… except for himself and Lamias.
Osmond stared at Lamias inconceivably, his voice incredulous. “You said… your mother is…”
However, Lamias replied coolly, “First, the letter I gave you really is from my mother, who is your mother as well. And the contents are 100% true. What wasn’t mentioned in the letter, was that I was born merely several minutes earlier than you.”
“You… you are my sister?”
“We only share the same parent body,” Lamias said without emotion. “You’re indeed Jonathan’s kid, but I’m not.”
“You did all these for revenge… Did you intentionally give me the letter so that I would intrude?”
“Half of your blood is from this sinner, while the other half is my mother’s. Shouldn’t you witness the end of this offender with your own eyes?” Lamias laughed grimly, “But be assured, I won’t kill you; in fact, you will inherit all the property of this family.”
With saying this, Lamias fished out her cellphone from the inside of her clothes, “It’s me… All’s well and done. Call some people to come.”
…
…
“Speaking of which, have I seen the reaction from the descendants of the Ceausescu Family somewhere before?”
“Seems to be the same symptoms as the reaction of the small white mouse.” You Ye nodded.
Luo Qiu mumbled, “So many people took it without knowing?”
“The problem should be the food.” You Ye propped her finger on her lips. “Well, apparently the Black Religious Congregation did a lot of advance preparations. Not only did they take all the property of the Ceausescu Family, they even managed to bring away the Impaling Duke’s left hand. On the contrary, the drug with unclear ingredients could have been developed by the Black Religious Congregation.”
Luo Qiu, who had said previously to leave the Black Religious Congregation’ alone, didn’t say anything. Instead, he gazed at the grayish white ball of light on his palm.
Based on the intuitive judgment of the club concerning the aspect of a soul’s value, a grayish white one was an above-average level soul while the pink one was considered a high-grade soul.
The deal between the Ceausescu Family and the club could not be continued. As for the situation concerning the Impaling Duke’s left hand, and how Osmond, Lamias, and the Black Religious Congregation would be… In Boss Luo’s opinion, these would be the matters for another time.
Book 1 complete.
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