In front of the stairs was an iron door leading to the heart of the Black Rose organization.
Creaaaak!
Heavy metal sounds filled the small room.
Guard No.3 pulled the door open.
He and Brutus took the lead and entered the room behind the door. Behind them followed Gulliver, and behind Gulliver, Nolan and Harley followed.
Since Gulliver barely fit through the door, as he walked before Harley and Nolan, he blocked their view. So before entering the room behind the door, Nolan and Harley did not have even a glimpse of what awaited them.
After entering the room behind the heavy iron door, Gulliver moved aside.
The moment Gulliver moved aside from before their eyes, Nolan's and Harley's eyes instantly widened in shock.
The room they entered was fifty meters long and fifty meters wide. And it was five meters high.
The room had stone walls, while the whole ceiling was metal.
From the ceiling, attached with thick silver chains, hung a large silver chandelier. The luxurious chandelier had three levels, and each level had dozens of burning candles.
But how could only one chandelier light such an enormous room?
Several such chandeliers hung from the ceiling, lighting the whole room.
From the iron door, the entrance to this room, a red carpet spread forward to the other end of the room, climbing up five large stone stairs, finally ending before a stone throne.
On the side walls, with a few meters distance between, hung large white banners with hand sewed black rose. Those banners hung on the side walls from the beginning of the room to the end.
And behind the stone throne was hung an even larger banner.
Guard No.3 and Brutus slowly led the way to the throne.
On the throne sat a beautiful woman. She wore a black silk dress matching her long black hair. She also had black lipstick. All this coupled with her pretty face, gave off the feeling of a dark beauty.
One stair below the throne stood a man in black armor with a black sword attached to his waist. As the stone stair was large, he stood at the left edge of the stair, not blocking the view of the woman sitting on the throne.
On the stair below this man stood another man. He wore silver armor and had a black sword attached to his waist. Like the previous man, he stood at the edge of the stair. But he stood at the right edge of the stair.
The third stair was empty, and on the fourth stair, a man with silver armor and a silver sword stood at the right edge of the stair. And finally, on the fifth stair, standing on the left edge, was a man wearing only light silver armor and an ordinary steel sword attached to his waist.
Brutus and Guard No.3 stopped at the beginning of the stairs leading to the throne and knelt on one knee.
The woman on the throne nodded at Guard No. 3.
Guard No.3 stood up, climbed the third stair, and stood at the left edge.
"Why are you not kneeling?" Brutus turned back angrily at Gulliver, Nolan, and Harley. "You are disrespecting our boss!"
"Brutus! Shut up for once!" Gulliver snapped. "You keep finding stupid excuses to manipulate our boss into punishing me or even killing me! Do you think that with that chicken brain of yours, you can manipulate our boss?
I can't kneel and greet our boss because I am too fat. If I kneel, I will not be able to stand up!" Gulliver paused for a moment and looked at Nolan and Harley.
Initially, he was not close with Nolan and Harley. But because when he bought the slaves, Nolan gave him ten taels of silver as a gift to form a good relationship, Gulliver decided to get them out of prison and hear them out. If they wanted to harm the organization, he would kill them. But if they were imprisoned because of a misunderstanding, he would help them.
However, despite his look, Gulliver was a righteous person. After hearing their story and how Nolan decided to fight back against Rosalia instead of surrendering to her, he knew he was a good man. So he took a liking to him.
"As for them, they are not members of our organization, so they do not need to kneel. After all, our boss is not Royalty." Gulliver stood up for Nolan and Harley. "Boss," He looked the woman in the eyes. "If you have a problem with what I just said, then I think you have lost track of yourself. I know you for a long time, from the beginning of the Black Rose organization, and if you changed just because you gained power, then I do not belong in this organization anymore!"
What Gulliver said, stunned everyone. Of course, everyone but the beautiful woman.
Clap, clap, clap!
She clapped her hands elegantly. "Gulliver, long time no see." She spoke, her voice beautiful yet full of arrogance. "Has it been half a year? I am happy you have not changed even a bit."
Gulliver remained silent.
"Since you started working for me, we agreed on the terms. If ever comes a time when I have lost myself and forgotten why I have created the Black Rose organization, you are free to go. However, I have not changed at all."
Gulliver smiled. "Hahahaha!" He burst into laughter. "Then I apologize."
Pam!
He knelt on one knee. "I am truly sorry if I insulted you." Gulliver apologized once again.
"Please raise." The woman said.
"Ha...haha!" Gulliver laughed awkwardly. "I might need a little help!" HE turned to Nolan and Harley. "Help me stand up."
Nolan and Harley felt uncomfortable, caught between the little conflict between Gulliver and the woman on the throne. So receiving Gulliver's request to pull him up helped them forget their situation for a second.
Nolan took Gulliver for one hand and Harley for the other.
"Aghh!"
They both pulled Gulliver back to his feet.
"Friends, please explain yourself. Why were you imprisoned? And why did you want to get in contact with our organization?" The woman asked.
"We came here to ask for your help," Nolan said. "Of course, if you help us, we promise you you will receive benefits."
"Help?" The woman got surprised a little. What could be so important that they come to seek her help? And what benefits could they possibly offer them?
"For everyone to understand the situation, I will start from the beginning..."
...
Again, Nolan explained everything. How Rosalia captured him, how he killed her, and how Bonosus wants to seek revenge on him. And how Bonosus would attack his restaurant tonight.
After Nolan finished talking, the woman took her time thinking.
"So, you want me to help you to destroy the Calvus noble family?" After five minutes, she asked.
Nolan nodded.
"But, what do I gain from this? As far as I can see, I am only losing. First I am only making an enemy out of the Viper organization." The woman said.
"Hahaha!" Nolan laughed. "Please. I know I am young, but it does not mean I am a fool." Nolan's face instantly turned serious as he looked straight into the eyes of the woman.
"Why did you left out that after destroying the Calvus noble family, you will take over everything in the family manor and even their businesses?" Nolan asked. "Of course, I am not complaining. You would do most of the work, so you deserve to take it."
"Just as you said, I deserve to take it. So, what can you offer me?"
"I can not offer you much. The most valuable thing I can offer you is three favors. As long as you help me now, in the future you can ask for three things from me. No matter what it is, I will help you." Nolan said.
"Ha ha ha!" The woman laughed elegantly. "What can you help me..."
"Boss," Gulliver interrupted her. "I must interfere before you finish your sentence. Though Brother Nolan can not help us much now, I can guarantee as his friend and as an experienced businessman, in the future, even the whole Womvale city would be too small to hold him."
"Ohh?" The woman was surprised a little. "You think so highly of him?"
"This is just my feeling. However, because of this feeling, I have struck the most valuable deals in my career and evaded enormous losses several times."
The woman's expression turned serious. "Fine. I will help you." After thinking for a few minutes, she agreed.
"I can not find any words to express my gratitude. Thank you," Nolan bowed. "I, Nolan, will forever remember this."
Harley bowed silently.
For this whole time, as Nolan and the woman spoke, Guard No.1, Guard No.2and Guard No.3 have been staring at Harley.
"You are?" Guard No.1, the one with the black armor and black sword standing on the first stair below the throne, muttered silently.
"Guard No.1?" The woman looked at the guard.
Swoosh!
He jumped downstairs, landing right before Harley.
Harley instinctively took a step back. However, Guard No. 1 grabbed him by the hand, stopping him from retreating.
Guard No.1 Stuck his head close to Harley's face, carefully observing his face.
He observed his face for a whole minute. And as he did so, everyone in the room remained silent, dumbfounded.
"What's your name?" Guard No.1 asked.
"Harley."
The guard's eyes widened for a moment as tears appeared in the corner of his eyes. "Do you have a wife?"
"No," Harely lied. "I am alone. For most of my life, I was poor. So no woman was willing to marry me."
"I see!" The guard retreated a step back. "I am sorry. I mistook you for someone else."
Nolan instantly turned to Harley. However, he did not say anything. He knew Harley must have his reasons to lie.
Swoosh!
The guard turned back, and with lightning-fast speed, he returned to his position on the stair below the throne.
"Do you know him?" The woman asked.
"No."
The woman turned to Nolan. "By what you said, Bonosus would attack your restaurant tonight. If so, this is our best chance to kill him. After killing him, we will destroy the Calvus noble family the same night. We can not afford them to inform the Viper organization. If they do, then we will not be able to destroy the Calvus noble family." She explained.
"I see. Then it's best to act immediately. After all, we need to travel for a long time." Nolan said.
"Guard No.1, Brutus, take fifty of our elite men and destroy the Calvus Noble family." The woman commanded.
"Yes!"