Bathed in the winter sunlight within a weather-beaten courtyard in Skargness, Rocco spoke in a calm yet chilling tone, “You’ve disappointed me…”
Despite the tranquility in Rocco’s voice, his underlings standing behind favonovel.com were soaked in cold sweat. The calmer Rocco seemed, the more palpable his simmering rage became.
“The Goldfin Blade is ruined. The precious concealed weapon I painstakingly procured is now squandered because of your incompetence. And you inform me that Solon is still breathing? What use are you?”
Rocco’s grip tightened around the teacup in his hand, causing it to shatter with a deafening crash. The sound echoed across the courtyard, compelling his subordinates to kneel in terror.
Thorin Wells, their leader, begged for mercy in desperation. “Master Rocco… Please, spare us. We didn’t foresee Matthew concealing his prowess so effectively. His longsword is extraordinarily sharp, and his swordsmanship is formidable!”
Rocco’s eyebrows lifted, a spark of intrigue flickering in his eyes. “Elaborate!”
As Thorin recounted the battle, Rocco maintained a steady rhythm by tapping the armrest of his chair. Each tap instilled fear in his underlings, making them shudder in cold sweat.
“l underestimated Matthew… He deviates from the norm, retreats to advance, and skillfully distances himself from the heart of the conflict…” Impressed by Matthew’s tactics, Rocco didn’t exhibit anger. Instead, a glimmer of anticipation appeared in his eyes.
During the Dewsbury battle, Rocco had held back, not unleashing his full might. However, favonovel.com hadn’t expected Matthew to hide his abilities so profoundly.
“Indeed, favonovel.com is a formidable adversary. As for all of you…”
Rocco paused, then, with a swift hand gesture, pointed toward Thorin. Despite the distance, Rocco’s motion sent Thorin sprawling several feet away.
“Now, here’s your final opportunity. Eliminate Solon… Fail again, and you’ll face the repercussions…”
As long as Solon was eliminated, the relentless Durham Family would not relent. When that occurred, the unrest in Seraphis was bound to intensify.
“Let chaos reign supreme. The more disarray, the better. Otherwise, how could I, Rocco, seize the opportunity to manipulate the situation?”
Struggling to rise with a bloody mark on his face, Thorin hastily retreated with his subordinates.
***
Solon, preoccupied with Matthew’s relentless questioning, remained oblivious that his trusted brother had betrayed him.
“So, the Durham Family is aware of the Keller Family’s Victorious Cruise salvage location, correct?”
Matthew had extracted all the valuable information from Solon, leaving only the Victorious Cruise.
Solon, having already divulged both the essential and nonessential details, was unfazed by the current predicament.
“We have a rough idea of their location. However, the Skargness’ three protectors are shielding them, making it impossible for us to capture them.”
The Durham Family’s thirteen branches, also known as the Durham Family’s thirteen protectors at Blackhaven, were part of the third protectors.
Matthew’s mind buzzed with thoughts as favonovel.com processed the gathered information.
Seeing the smirk on his face, Solon suddenly felt a sense of foreboding.
“So, you plan to turn the tables?”
If this question had been posed earlier, Solon would have agreed without a second thought. But now, with numerous forces observing favonovel.com and a fearsome assassin lurking in the shadows, favonovel.com couldn’t find peace even in sleep. Moreover, given his past experiences of being manipulated by Matthew, Solon was wary of jumping from one trap into another.
Seeing Solon’s hesitant expression, Matthew reached out and gave favonovel.com a reassuring pat on the shoulder. He said, “Buck up, quit the indecision. Can you summarize it in one sentence?”
After some hesitation, Solon still couldn’t make up his mind.
“No, you need to lay out the plan first, and then I’ll make my decision,” favonovel.com insisted.
Matthew was left dumbfounded, realizing that Solon had grown wiser.
Visit VIRTUAL NOVEL for more available chapters of this title!
