Chapter 184 – There are only two Masters
The eyes of the servant stationed at the gate flashed with a chill. Moving his hands slightly, a baton appeared and he used it to attack the man who wanted to go out.
The man intercepted the servant’s attack, his stature turning while he simultaneously threw darts out from his hands toward the servant.
Moving the baton in his hand, the servant knocked several of the darts to the ground. His body moved forwards, aiming the baton at the chest of the man.
The baton was pitch-black and didn’t give off any s.h.i.+ne. After being brandished, however, it emitted a very heavy aura, showing that this length of metal was forged through a special method.
That man obviously wasn’t easy to deal with. With a slight movement of his body, a Piercing Sword[1] appeared in his hands. As Quinn John had implied, this man was Carlo’s a.s.sa.s.sin. This Piercing Sword was his weapon.
The man was just about to stab his sword out when he was suddenly blocked by the baton of the servant. Suddenly, two feathered arrows came out of nowhere and were directly shot at the man’s feet. The timing and angle of the feathered arrows was quite good. They were shot while the servant had blocked the man’s sword with his baton, so there was no way for the man to move away after the feathered arrows appeared. Thus, they sealed off his retreat.
The man saw the attack but didn’t hide. Instead, a Sickle[2] flew out from the door. One after another, the two feathered arrows were knocked out of the air. At that crucial moment, another servant called for them to stop. Baton in hand, the servant stopped and the two looked towards the door.
Two people slowly walked out from the door. One was Alodia, while the other was one of the three people summoned by him last night. The chain of the Sickle was held in his hands.
Alodia sullenly watched the gatekeeper and the servants. With a cold voice he said, “How dare you all. Who gave you the courage to lay your hands on my people!”
The servant actually wasn’t afraid of him. He coldly snorted as he watched Alodia. “Young Lady has commanded us that today, no one will be allowed to leave the residence. If anyone dares to disobey this order, then we are to break their legs.”
Alodia looked at the servant and, with a colder gaze, refuted, “Don’t forget; this is the clan mansion of the Markey Dell clan, and you are all servants of the Markey Dell clan. Offending the Fifth Young Master wouldn’t benefit any of you.”
The servant sneered. “I don’t know about the Markey Dell clan, but what I do know is that here in the Purcell Duchy, there’s only Faith Mansion[3]. In Faith Mansion, there are only two masters. The first is Karen, while the other is Laura. Others do not have any right to call themselves our masters.”
Alodia’s eyes flashed with light. In a cold voice, he said, “Good, you dare to speak against us. The Markey Dell clan owns this residence—do you dare to rebel?”
“Who said that this residence is of the Markey Dell clan?” A hoa.r.s.e voice spoke these words, and everyone knew the prestige of the man behind it, Quinn John.
Alodia, this time, didn’t salute but instead answered back, “Isn’t the owner of this residence now surnamed Markey Dell? Is this place not of the Markey Dell trade?”
Quinn John snorted. “A lackey knows nothing. As I’ve told you, Faith Mansion isn’t of the Markey Dell clan. There are no Markey Dell clan members here save two people. One is the Second Young Master, while the other is Young Lady Laura. Young Lady Laura’s order is the law here; whomever dares to not comply will be executed. Mark my words. Go ahead and try to step out of the gates of this residence.”
After Quinn John stated these things, his expression stayed calm. As Alodia watched him, he was quite surprised. Adding in Quinn John’s calm demeanor, it was as if Alodia were already a dead man. He understood. Today, if they dared to leave the residence, they will certainly die.
Most of these men, although they were masters, when facing Quinn John they would obviously suffer defeat. Quinn John was a Rank Eight expert, and the men who’d come this time around didn’t have any Rank Eight experts among them[4].
Alodia coldly looked at Quinn John and said, “Alright. With Steward Quinn John’s words, I have nothing more to say. However, this matter will be known by the Fifth Young Master.”
Quinn John slightly chuckled and said, “n.o.body told you not to do so, but you better not head outside of the residence. Otherwise, do not blame me for being impolite. If any of you dare to break this rule today, then both legs will be broken. n.o.body should dare think of being unruly here in Faith Mansion.”
Faith Mansion was the name of the mansion where Laura resided[5]. On the Ark Continent, the name of an aristocrat’s mansion had their own surname in them, such as the Chen Mansion, Zhao Mansion, and so on[6].
Generally, however, this wouldn’t commonly be done. The aristocrats tended to name their mansions with their t.i.tle. For example, the Purcell clan had the Grand Duke’s Mansion, and the Marquis would have the Marquis’ Mansion, and so on. Even if someone weren’t a merchant or an aristocrat, they could name their own residences with an elegant sounding name, such as Gentle Breeze Residence, Mountain Forest Court, and so on[7]. Very few would hang a plaque with just their surname engraved on it.
However, the clothing of servants in each mansion would always have the master’s surname or the host clan’s family crest. This also acted as a proof of ident.i.ty.
The reason why Laura called her residence Faith Mansion in the Purcell Duchy was because she wanted the servants and the people of Faith Mansion to remember that being a businessman relied on one having good faith.
Alodia heard what Quinn John said and he couldn’t help but be furious at the man. His eyes filled with fury as he said, “I think that this one dares.”
Just after saying those words, he heard two resounding brittle cracks. A pitiful yell cried out from his subordinate behind him.
Alodia looked back and saw his subordinate fall down. The bones in his legs were sticking out, obviously broken.
After seeing this situation, Alodia couldn’t help but turn his head back towards Quinn John. “You…you have such great courage!”
Quinn John snorted. “Do not forget. Here in the Purcell Duchy, you are not the master, and nor is the Fifth Young Master. You had better be honest; if you continue to have this kind of situation like today, then don’t blame my hand for being heartless.” He then turned around and didn’t even look back at Alodia.
Alodia was angry. His clenched teeth creaked loudly, but he had no choice as he and his men were living under the roof of this mansion. Thus, they had to lower their heads. Alodia took a few breaths, calmed down, then turned around and ordered his man, “Bring him, then let’s go.” He tossed his sleeves, walking towards the mansion. He didn’t dare to leave the mansion, because if he did, Quinn John wouldn’t let him off.
* * * * *
What happened in Faith Mansion wasn’t something Laura knew about. She had just arrived at the Grand Duke’s Mansion at this moment. Since her status was quite high in the Grand Duke’s Mansion, the people of the Purcell clan knew her. During that time of crisis for the Purcell clan, Laura had bravely stepped forward to help the Purcell clan in their time of need. Moreover, the Clan Lord also had a very good relations.h.i.+p with her. One could say that the Clan Lord had gotten his position with the help of Laura.
The elders hadn’t hid those words here within the Grand Duke’s Mansion, so it wasn’t a secret. Therefore, the servants also knew of it. Once they saw Laura’s carriage, someone immediately went to notify another servant to politely lead Laura through the second gate.
Laura was quickly welcomed into the study of the Grand Duke’s Mansion. Grand Duke Evan’s study wasn’t simple, as this study was also his workplace. Back when the former First Elder was in power, n.o.body went to the study of Grand Duke Evan. Now, however, it was different. Everyday, there were many different people coming in and out of there now.
His study was very large, almost a hundred square meters[8]. There was a blue stone pillar in the center of the room, and the floor was made of white marble and was very clean. The study had several shelves filled with books, while the other side had a fireplace. There were a total of eight doors and six windows in the study, making the room very bright.
In the inner corner of the study was a large desk. The desk was red colored and quite luminous, apparently made from some ancient materials. Three rows of chairs were arrayed on one side, while behind the desk was another chair.
The wall behind the desk had a portrait of a person hung there. This person wore a suit of armor, his hand leaning against a sword, and he wore a helmet with horns. The portrait was large, bigger than a life-sized one. Although it was only a portrait, people would actually feel overawed by the imposing manner of the portrait. The person shown was the first Grand Duke of the Purcell clan, Naren[9] Purcell.
Every time Laura came into the study, she would always take a look at the portrait first. The image of the portrait was really good; the person’s imposing manner completely portrayed.
Upon entering through the door of the study, there was a combination of a sofa and tea table. The sofa could seat a dozen people, and was used as a waiting area for the Grand Duke’s subordinates, or as a place where guests waited for the Grand Duke.
Evan stood near the sofa, waiting for Laura. Upon seeing her, he waved his hand, smiling as he said, “Little Laura, come and sit.” The age of Grand Duke Evan was almost the same as Karen. Moreover, he had a straightforward temperament. Since he was familiar with Laura, he called her ‘Little Laura’, showing their intimacy.
Laura responded with a smile. “Grand Duke, I’m sorry for bothering you again today.”
Evan pulled a long face and said, “How many times will I have to remind you to call me Uncle Evan? The next time you call me wrong, I won’t let you pa.s.s through the gates.”
Laura didn’t insist and replied with a smile, “Uncle Evan, this is somewhat impolite. Still, I will call you like this afterwards.” She then sat on the sofa, and a servant arrived with a cup of tea.
After they both sat down, Evan ordered the servant to draw back. He looked at Laura and asked, “What’s the matter this time around? Is it due to that person from some time ago? Rest a.s.sured, I had already warned him.”
Laura smiled bitterly. “Your warning, even if useful, wasn’t held in their hearts.”
Evan paused for a moment and the two stared each other. “What’s wrong? Did they really dare move against you? Are they tired of living?”
Laura smiled wryly. “They didn’t dare move against me, but they intend to attack Mister. If they succeed, then I would lose the Taoyuan products. If they aren’t successful, then they will definitely continue to hara.s.s Mister. If Mister gets into a conflict with them, then that will be equal to having a conflict with the Markey Dell clan. This is what I’m worried about.”
Although Evan’s temperament was straight, he wasn’t stupid. He had fought for a long time against Kaiser, and finally, after collaborating with Laura, he’d taken away his power in one fell swoop. How could such a person be a fool? Therefore, as he listened to Laura, he quickly understood what she meant.