I'm supposed to be beheaded right at the start, but I'm immortal!

Chapter 14. Ward Manor, Iron Letter

Starlight and Death Cafe.

In the private room, after a detailed discussion, everyone roughly understood the situation.

Raste's older brother, Radbon, is an adult and usually helps manage the family's shop in St. Petersburg.

According to Raste, Radbond spent several years as an adventurer after graduating from magic school. Therefore, his only hobby now is occasionally going to a tavern for a drink and chatting with his adventurer friends.

Life was going well until recently.

"My brother came back from the bar late at night that night. I would have been asleep by then on a normal day."

But I was in my room finishing my homework when I went to the bathroom and passed through the living room. I vaguely heard my brother muttering something about a magic lamp festival. I didn't think much of it at the time, but little did I know that my brother would never come home after that.

Green pondered, "In that case, we should investigate the pub where your brother usually drinks; we might find something useful."

Raste nodded. "After my brother didn't come home for a few days, I asked two adventurers from the Adventurers' Guild to come. They thought the same thing as you, that the tavern might hold some clues."

"Those two adventurers were at least second-tier lantern bearers, but who knew they wouldn't come back after investigating the Magic Lamp Society."

And I didn't have the money to hire more skilled adventurers to investigate, so I was lucky to meet you all.

Be careful when you go to investigate; the Magic Lamp Society might be difficult to deal with.

"Hmm." Green nodded and said to Mabel and the other, "No matter what, we still need to investigate first. Last, you stay here and wait for our news."

Rastian nodded. "Okay, thank you."

Before leaving the coffee shop, Green suddenly turned back and asked:

"By the way, does your family know about your brother's disappearance?"

"Hmm..." Last replied vaguely, "I guess you could say I know."

The three left the coffee shop.

The family shop managed by Brother Rust is located in the outer city, in the Ludshville district.

On the way, Mabel asked, "What did you mean by what you just asked him?"

Green smiled and asked, "Does the Rust family hold any titles?"

"It seems to be a fifth-rank nobleman, a viscount, I suppose."

Green added, "Although it is the lowest fifth rank of nobility, the amount of money they control is probably far beyond what ordinary people can compare to."

And yet, in this very viscount family, the disappearance of their eldest son went unnoticed until Rust went to fetch two adventurers from the Lantern Realm.

The old wizard understood. "So, this Raste's brother doesn't get along with the family? Or is he of low status? But he's the eldest son, so that doesn't make sense."

"The genie is said to be able to grant any wish," Green said. "Judging from the way Last looked back and hesitated just now, it's clear that his brother has something that's not good to talk about, which has damaged the reputation of the nobility."

"How do you know so much... cough," Mabel changed her words, "That's right, I actually think so too."

Ha ha.

Why is Green so clear about this?

Back in the orphanage, Alice and Green would sneak out at night to go online. When the caregivers checked on Alice and asked why she wasn't in bed, Green would give vague and evasive answers.

"It's getting late. Alice might have gone to the bathroom. She'll be back soon."

"But that's none of our business now. Whether we can save his brother depends on luck. Let's go."

Although Mabel believed that Rust's brother had definitely made a wish to the genie lamp and become a slave after disappearing for several days.

There's only one pub in the Ludshville neighborhood, so there's no risk of going to the wrong one.

The tavern is called Gensokyo, and it's quite famous in St. Petersburg. This is not only because the tavern owner is an injured and retired adventurer from the Fate Realm, so no one dares to cause trouble here, but also because the tavern has a unique golden mead that is extremely popular among adventurers and even some noblewomen.

The three entered the tavern, and despite it being broad daylight, there were still many adventurers inside.

I randomly found an empty seat and sat down, when I heard the adventurer next to me shout:

"Boss, give me the cheapest orchid wine. Damn it, I've been paying off my student loans for five whole years since I graduated, and I still haven't finished. My income tax is also getting higher and higher. Sigh... If only I hadn't taken out the loan and hadn't gone to school."

Another adventurer laughed and said, "If you don't study, you'll have to spend money to buy even the most basic skill books. You won't be able to become an adventurer. In the end, you'll have to take out a loan to buy skill books."

You should be grateful that the emperor can popularize basic skills and classic texts in junior high school compulsory education; you can pay off student loans slowly.

"Old Jack, it's not like I don't know all this. I was just venting. I wish I could get the Lantern Certificate. Those nobles in the lower three realms can break through without taking the exam. I'm so envious."

"What's there to envy? Their ancestors shed blood and risked their lives for the empire; it's not unreasonable for their descendants to enjoy the fruits of their labor!"

"Let's not talk about this anymore," the adventurer said. "After I finish unloading the goods at the docks, I'll go to the leased territory. Do you want to come with me?"

"The concession area? You're going to the mafia's place again to experience the shared puppet girl? You've been there several times this month, can your life force handle it?"

So the adventurer, saying things like "youth is good" and "it's just a little bit of essence," slowly walked out of the tavern.

Shortly after the young adventurer stepped out, a middle-aged man who had been drinking in the tavern followed him out.

After leaving the tavern, the young adventurer headed to the docks. Because he was a little late, he was severely scolded by the dock manager.

The young adventurer was counting on this porter job to make a living, so naturally he didn't dare to talk back. Despite harboring a lot of resentment, he could only smile and apologize.

Then they worked even harder to unload the cargo from the ship.

After a long afternoon of hard work, the young adventurer finally received his wages for the day. But upon closer inspection, he discovered that even though he had worked much harder, his wages were a full third less than usual!

He angrily questioned his supervisor, who could only reply calmly:

"As you know, income tax has increased recently, and the portion that was lost has been used to pay taxes."

The young adventurer's anger was instantly stifled. He believed it to be true; the income tax was decided by the emperor and couldn't possibly be wrong, so he couldn't say anything.

After leaving the dock, a worker who knew the young adventurer felt sorry for him and told him the truth:

"Actually, there is income tax, but it's not that exaggerated. It's only one in ten. That supervisor saw that you were a college graduate from a vocational magic academy and thought you were easy to bully, so he took three or four tenths of your salary. The rest went into his pocket. He took one in ten from us junior high school graduates and old workers."

The young adventurer laughed in exasperation.

"Fuck him! Just because I'm a college graduate and easy to bully, he takes so much more of my salary?"

The worker comforted him, saying, "After all, you're a college graduate. You have several years less seniority than us, who graduated from junior high school and went straight to work at the docks. Just bear with it and it will pass."

The young adventurer was already hot-tempered, and now his heart was filled with rage.

But the thought of being wanted by the police for killing someone made me realize how dangerous it was.

The thought that the dock manager had broken through to the Lantern Realm with a fake certificate, while he was just a Firefly Level 3 who couldn't even afford a fake certificate, filled him with hatred!

It's alright, it's alright. He still has loans to pay off, he can't do something foolish like that.

He still has the Puppet Princess; surely she'll comfort him?

He arrived at the leased premises, where the Mafia's shared magical puppets were neatly arranged inside the store.

He was preparing to rent the puppet princess for half a day with a drop of his blood essence, as usual, but the puppet princess did not react after he dripped the blood essence into her.

The shop assistant told him:

"You've been coming too often this month, and the effects of your essence blood are much less potent than before. Now you need three drops of essence blood to rent the Puppet Princess for half a day."

The young adventurer ultimately failed to borrow the Puppet Princess and walked home dejectedly.

On the way, memories of the past surfaced in my mind.

Why is it that he took out a large student loan to attend a vocational magic academy and become a junior college student, yet his job benefits are not even as good as those of a junior high school graduate?

Why are those nobles able to break through without needing to pass the examination?

Why does he need to pass a test to break through? If he were at the Lantern-Carrying Realm now, he would definitely go back and kill that supervisor!

In an empty alley.

"Why? Why? Why?!"

"Heh, just because you're poor, just because your parents aren't nobles, just because you weren't born into wealth!"

A middle-aged man suddenly appeared behind him, startling the young adventurer.

"Who...who are you?"

"Me?" the middle-aged man said. "Who I am is not important. What's important is that I can help you."

"Can you help me?" the young adventurer asked doubtfully.

The middle-aged man's words were full of temptation:

"Of course I can help you. Don't you want to work only eight hours a day, leave on time, and have four days on and three days off a week?"

The young adventurer shook his head, horrified:

"How is that possible! If I don't work overtime, where will I get extra salary? Without extra salary, how can I pay off my student loans every month? If I can't pay off my student loans, my house will be confiscated and mortgaged, and then I'll be homeless."

"After becoming homeless, won't my life just naturally end up cold and lifeless? I don't want that! I don't want to die!"

The young adventurer spoke and began to walk home.

"You actually still want to, don't you? It's just because of the loan, but that's okay..."

The middle-aged man continued:

"We can help you pay off your loan and live the life you want. You won't even have to work. You'll become someone important. You can get revenge on that dock manager who bullied you before, or even kill him."

The middle-aged man's words undoubtedly struck a chord with the young adventurer.

He stopped, swallowed hard, and even though this person was lying to him, he still asked:

"How can you help me?"

The middle-aged man smiled. "It's simple, just join our Magic Lamp Society. The all-powerful magic lamp will help you fulfill your heart's desire!"

"The Genie Festival?"

"Exactly," the middle-aged man said. "I used to be an adventurer like you, bullied and struggling to breathe every month because of loan repayments. But since joining the Genie Society, all my troubles have disappeared."

The middle-aged man revealed a priceless gold-plated watch on his wrist, making the young adventurer swallow hard. He said:

"I can have as many of these worthless things as I want right now."

"How can I join you?" the young adventurer asked.

"Enter the inner city before tomorrow night and come to Ward Manor in the west. We will hold an initiation ceremony for people like you, and the doors of the Aladdin will be opened to you."

The middle-aged man patted the young adventurer on the shoulder and turned to leave. The young adventurer muttered the name of Ward Manor as he returned home.

The middle-aged man was completely unaware that three pairs of eyes had been secretly watching everything from a hidden corner.

"It wasn't for nothing that we followed them all day; we've finally found a lead."

Mabel stretched and said.

The old wizard chuckled, "What are you tired of? If I hadn't been casting concealment spells all day, I would have been discovered long ago. I'm the one who's tired."

"Stop arguing," Green said. "The Bull Slayer is the one who knows the magic lamp best. Let's go back and tell the Bull Slayer what's going on."

The three returned to the Raven Doctor's clinic and relayed the information to the Bull Slayer Knight. The Bull Slayer Knight frowned slightly.

"The Magic Lamp Society... It seems the magic lamp has been in St. Petersburg for quite some time now."

He said:

"The lamp itself is not very strong, only at the third level of the lantern. The troublesome ones are those who make wishes and become its slaves."

According to what you've said, besides that middle-aged man, there are at least two other adventurers at the second level of the Lantern-Bearing Realm. With the enemy in the open and us in the shadows, even if there are other strong members in the guild, a sneak attack on the magic lamp isn't without a chance of success.

"You'd better ambush the genie lamp before tomorrow's initiation ceremony begins, otherwise a large group of people will make wishes and become slaves controlled by the genie lamp, which will only cause more trouble."

The bull-slaughtering knight pondered for a moment, then continued:

"In order to attract more people to the initiation ceremony tomorrow night, the genie lamp will definitely send out a large number of people to recruit people like the young adventurers during the day tomorrow. In other words, the daytime tomorrow will be the time when the genie lamp's defenses are weakest."

The three men, Green and his companion, exchanged glances, indicating that they understood.

The old wizard had been casting concealment spells all day and was now resting to recover his magic.

The investigation by Dr. Raven has also yielded results.

She said to Green and Mabel:

"You're back. I consulted many ancient texts about the potion you asked me to investigate, and I also conducted experiments on some of it. I discovered that it's very similar to the origin of an Outer God upheaval in Therra's history."

"Outer Gods in Turmoil?"

Under the curious gazes of the two, Dr. Raven injected a diluted green liquid into a white mouse.

At first, the mice didn't react much, but as time went on, they gradually became more aggressive, their eyes turned red, their muscles swelled up, and they attacked, killed, and ate the flesh of their own kind in the cage.

Madness, bloodlust.

The Raven Doctor clenched his fist, and the mutated white mouse instantly died.

"There have been more than ten Outer God disturbances of varying sizes in the history of Thera, one of which was caused by a plague."

"It claimed the lives of millions and turned the entire city into a pool of blood."

The Raven Doctor slowly said:

"This plague, which was launched by the chosen one of Khorne, is known to the world as the 'Iron Cross'."