Chapter 151: Chapter 111: Zero-Cost Acquisition

"Allen has made his final contribution to this family."

Allen’s Mother held Simmons’s hand, her gaze glued to the Gold Coin in his other hand. "From now on, this family will depend on you all."

Seven-year-old Simmons was silent, staring blankly as the body collectors passed by. He saw names written on each of the carts.

One of them was his dead older brother, Allen.

He suddenly burst into tears.

He had a habit of biting things when he cried.

He subconsciously bit the Gold Coin.

Sweet... Simmons’s eyes lit up. He used his tongue to pry open the outer layer of gold foil and began to eat the novel flavor he had never tasted before.

Wade, who was still young enough to be held in his father’s arms, happened to see this. He pointed at Simmons and said, "Big brother is eating the Gold Coin! I want to eat it too!"

Allen’s father and mother didn’t pay it any mind, assuming it was just the innocent babbling of a child.

It was only when they returned home that they discovered the Gold Coin in Simmons’s hand was gone.

They searched everywhere, but his only answer was that he had eaten it. 𝐟𝕣𝗲𝕖𝕨𝗲𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝗲𝚕.𝗰𝚘𝐦

"He must have lost it!" Allen’s father said. "He’s just saying he ate it because he’s scared of being scolded."

"Hurry up and retrace our steps to find it!" Allen’s Mother said.

That was worth a hundred Silver Coins!

The whole family mobilized, beginning a long and thorough search of the streets.

...

On the way to the source of Faraday’s Copper Bell, Maguire asked Baron,

"Giving them a Gold Coin just like that was too wasteful. They were clearly just trying to scam you."

There was a note of indignation in his voice; he clearly thought Baron was too kind-hearted.

Baron sighed and said, "Actually, I’m not that kind."

The next second, he stopped in his tracks. He signaled for the others to halt, and after giving them a distress signal to use in case he ran into trouble, he entered the alley where Faraday’s Copper Bell had sounded, just as promised.

Faraday was waiting deep in the alley, alone, holding two gleaming iron bars.

Baron guessed this was the "Snow Pattern Steel" Michael had mentioned.

Sure enough, Faraday tossed the iron bars to Baron. They felt ice-cold in his hand the moment he caught them. Then he heard Faraday say, "The Snow Pattern Steel you wanted."

Baron examined the Snow Pattern Steel in his hands for a moment, like a seasoned gem merchant appraising jewels.

After some assessment, he came to a conclusion—he couldn’t make heads or tails of it.

’It’s best to leave professional matters to the professionals.’

Baron put the Snow Pattern Steel away, planning to find Michael to make the gun shortly.

He looked at the large man opposite him. "What about the intelligence I wanted?"

Faraday replied, "Moon Town. A hundred li west of Fude City. A wealthy local merchant named Weiserf will be conducting a Black Moon ritual in a month. The offerings are said to include some kind of internal organ with a large amount of Spiritual Power."

’He’s that efficient?’

Baron didn’t bother verifying the information. Faraday had even brought the Snow Pattern Steel, and he could find out a thing or two about Moon Town just by asking around.

So he smiled and said, "A pleasure doing business with you, then. When do we assassinate Ferdinand?"

Faraday, who had been about to say something else, was taken aback. He clearly hadn’t expected Baron to be so direct.

Baron chuckled. "Since you came in good faith, it’s only right that I show my own."

’It’s so refreshing to work with smart people...’ Faraday’s face was grim as he said in a low voice,

"The next Foggy Day. The location is the Furnace Warehouse on Black Moon Goddess Street in the West City District. Ferdinand goes to Black Moon Goddess Street every Foggy Day to take inventory of the Alchemy Equipment."

"I’ve already planted explosives outside the warehouse. Your job will be to lure Ferdinand alone to the spot I’ve prepared outside. Once you’re clear, I’ll detonate the explosives."

"We’ll make Ferdinand’s death look like he was killed by a powerful [Beast] during the Foggy Day."

"We’ll use the Copper Bell in your hand to communicate. You should already know how to use it."

Baron said, "It’s a deal."

Faraday nodded. Just as Baron was about to turn and leave, Faraday called out to him again.

"Something else? Don’t you trust me?" Baron stopped.

Faraday hesitated for a moment before saying, "My axe from the other day... I don’t care about the money, but my axe is very important."

’I’d forgotten all about it until you mentioned it.’

An expression of understanding appeared on Baron’s face. He pulled the Long Axe from his Holding Ring and tossed it to Faraday.

Faraday stroked the Giant Axe. "Thanks."

There was no reply. When he looked up, Baron was already gone.

The midday sun was bright, but the spot where Baron had stood was cast in shadow.

Faraday put away the Giant Axe, pursed his lips, and sighed deeply.

’I hope nothing goes wrong.’

...

The Fude City Guard Post, which in Baron’s understanding, was the equivalent of the Outer Side’s police station.

It was funded primarily by taxes from the citizens of Fude City and appropriations from the Gillian Duchy. Not even City Lord Lewis had the authority to command the guards of the Guard Post.

The Guard Commander slammed a newspaper down on his desk in a rage.

"We can turn a blind eye to those people in the Dongcheng District, but what’s this about more than ten people disappearing from the West City District last night?"

"Those rich merchants and nobles are all putting pressure on me. Is there really no progress on the case at all?"

A troubled expression appeared on the commander’s secretary’s face.

"The guards have practically turned Fude City upside down. They’ve even patrolled the Dongcheng District three or four times, but they still haven’t found a single clue."

"What about the north and south gates out of the city?" the commander asked.

"We’ve sent men to search them too, but according to the reports, there’s nothing out of the ordinary."

Seeing the commander’s rising anger, the secretary quickly added, "I’ve already instructed them to arrest and report any suspicious individuals immediately upon discovery."

The commander said, "Time is of the essence. My fear is that it’s those Undead Cultists from the Immortal Church. They’re probably hoping to use a ritual to refine those missing second-generation heirs into Undead, infiltrate them into the city’s upper crust, and wait for the opportune moment to grow their underground church until they can finally sacrifice the entire city."