Chapter 150: Chapter 111: Zero-Dollar Purchase

Having said that, the Knight Commander sat back down in his original seat, closed his eyes, and fell into deep thought.

It looked like he was determined to grapple with the problem to the very end.

Seeing this, the others also fell into contemplation.

Apparently, they were all mulling over the question Baron had posed.

Baron simply laughed silently to himself.

’The classic "trolley problem"—a moral dilemma. A Faith Knight like Victor, who thinks only of the Eight Virtues, won’t find an answer to this anytime soon.’

’But it achieved his goal. At least he wouldn’t have to face that interrogation with Honesty.’

’He was just worried Victor wouldn’t play by the book and might accidentally trick him into revealing his dual-class identity. That would be trouble.’

’He wasn’t some reckless fool who postured for the sake of posturing. Knowing the conditions under which Honesty could be used, it was in his best interest to make the optimal choice.’

Of course, if the trolley problem didn’t stump Victor, Baron had other methods.

Suddenly, Baron seemed to sense something. Seeing that everyone, including Yalilan, was hopelessly absorbed in the "trolley problem," he announced his departure and made to leave.

Tate stopped him. "The bet hasn’t been fulfilled!"

Baron shrugged. "Captain Victor isn’t doing the test. How are you supposed to test anything?"

’Pathetic.’

Tate’s chest heaved, and he looked like he was about to say something else, but Baron shoved past him.

"Then don’t block my way. I’m in a hurry."

On his way, he took a Copper Bell from his Holding Ring. It was the very one Faraday, the man who wanted to form an alliance, had given him for communication.

Apparently, the other party had some important information to relay.

To prevent a potential ambush, Baron headed to the Demon Hunter district. He planned to find Zod and Maguire and ask them to bring a few guys from the Rose Hunting Group as backup, just in case the other party tried to pull a double-cross.

But as soon as he reached the Demon Hunter candidate district, he was surrounded by a huge crowd.

On one side were noblewomen and the wives of wealthy merchants; on the other, rich men and lords.

All of them wore expressions that were a mixture of rabid fanaticism and strained composure as they stared at Baron and something in the distance.

Following the crowd’s gaze, he saw a family of ten walking toward him from not far away.

A middle-aged couple led them. The woman suddenly yelled at Baron, "Allen, my son!" and broke into a little run in his direction.

Her bulky figure lunged toward him, but Baron sidestepped the embrace and frowned.

"I may be Allen, but I’m not your son."

’It’s True Allen’s parents and siblings. Are they here to try and scam me?’

The woman wailed, "Mom was wrong! You’ve suffered so much all these years as a Demon Hunter."

Seeing the crowd of onlookers enjoying the show, Baron said, "I’m one of the Feinan People. My hair and eye color are both different."

True Allen’s family all had brown hair.

He thought that reason would be enough, but to his surprise, the woman wiped away her tears and said:

"Do you think changing your face and hair color means you can deny being my son? Come on, Simmons, Amway, Wade... say hello to your big brother."

Several children stepped forward and called out, "Brother." The one named Simmons came forward as if running a pre-written program, holding his hand out to Baron. "Brother, give us some money."

Baron was unmoved.

’Even if he felt some guilt toward True Allen, it didn’t extend to his family.’

’Besides, he’d learned from Zod just this morning that this family were parasites living off True Allen. According to the Rose Hunting Group’s investigation, even True Allen’s girlfriend had cheated on him with his best friend.’

Another heavily made-up young woman squeezed through the crowd. "Allen, don’t you remember me? It’s me, your fiancée, Jesse... You said you’d marry me once you became a full-fledged Demon Hunter."

’Speak of the devil.’

A man with blond hair pushed his way out of the crowd. "I’m your brother..."

’And that completes the cast.’

A chorus of voices rose at once: "You are Allen—my son, my brother, my fiancé!"

’Great. A group shakedown.’

’He really didn’t have the time to deal with their nonsense.’

Baron sighed, took a Gold Coin from his pocket, and placed it in Simmons’s hand. He added a word of advice, "How about you focus on playing ball from now on, okay?"

Simmons didn’t understand any of this, but happily tucked the coin away.

The middle-aged couple was overjoyed.

Baron said, "I’m not the Allen you’re looking for. It’s as simple as that. But that Allen and I were close friends, the kind who fought side-by-side. It’s normal for you to get us mixed up. Let’s just leave it at that."

"But if you keep pestering me..." he said coldly, "then don’t blame me for turning nasty."

After saying this, he left, holding back Maguire who was about to step in from the edge of the crowd.

Overjoyed at getting a Gold Coin, Allen’s parents readily agreed.

Originally, they only wanted to scrounge up some Silver Coins to recoup the money they’d bet on the Hunting Competition. They never imagined they’d not only cover their losses but also turn a huge profit.

This was One Gold Coin! It would take an ordinary worker in Fude City more than two years to save up that much.

Counting the kickback from the Iron Thorn Gang last night, plus the 100 Silver Coins—equivalent to One Gold Coin—they received this morning as "compensation" from the First Hunter Association, the family could afford to eat well again for a good while.

Allen’s mother could already imagine the envious looks from their neighbors.

It was a crowded place with lots of wandering hands; she couldn’t let it get stolen.

After shooting a fierce glare at Jesse, who looked like she wanted to come over and get a cut, the mother scooped her youngest son, Simmons, into her arms and hurriedly dragged the rest of the family away.

Because they were in such a hurry, they ran right into a procession of carts collecting the bodies of the Demon Hunters who had unfortunately been killed during the recent festivities.

The bodies were on handcarts, each covered by a white sheet, one body to a cart.

Allen’s father spat toward one of the white sheets. "To run into corpse collectors the second we step out. What terrible luck."

Allen’s mother smiled. "What’s so unlucky? We made a profit, didn’t we? I told you so. These big shots are all obsessed with their image. You can always get something out of them this way."