025. In the K region, my fiancée is there!
The secretary, as if granted amnesty, scrambled out of the office. Shortly after, Marlis Gamoth Gulan, dressed in a sharp suit, entered through the door.
"What do you want from me, sir?"
Although they were father and son, Marlis had no affection for his father, who had ruled the country for two and a half centuries. Among the many wives and children in the public eye, no one could surpass his throne. After outlasting one heir after another, no one had any human concern left for this immortal king.
The Grand Duke slowly straightened up; his nearly three-meter-tall frame could only slouch in the enormous chair. His enormous eyes gazed at his 34-year-old son as he spoke in a deep voice:
"When will you advance to Gamma level?"
"Still a long way off." Marlis had his hands in his pockets, but before the words were out, an invisible force yanked him off the ground, and a layer of frost quickly covered his skin.
His father, sitting on the throne, didn't even reflect his presence in those ghostly blue eyes.
"You'd better hurry up." The Grand Duke's voice echoed like in a canyon, layered with the voices of men, women, old and young. He sat motionless, yet Marlis, a Beta level, felt his brain almost freeze.
This was a nearly 300-year-old Gamma level powerhouse, long afflicted with hypoxia and osteoporosis, unable even to stand, yet with just one look, he could kill him.
Marlis struggled to open his mouth but couldn't speak. By the time he reacted, his body was already in the Surut Palace Square, 400 meters away.
It was a ghost... The Grand Duke had crudely summoned a ghost to possess him and bring him out.
Marlis felt a chilling fear. As he bent slightly, the thought of vomiting crossed his mind, and he immediately saw a deep crack open on his stomach. A mist, dragging shadowy trails, formed before him, and his father's voice echoed directly in his mind:
'The ghost will supervise your training. No matter what, you must reach Gamma level by the end of the year.'
As soon as the words were spoken, the mist immediately drilled back into his body.
"Are you kidding... making me advance to Gamma level?"
Marlis staggered back a few steps, his face quickly turning pale.
He had no desire for power; instead, having witnessed the Grand Duke's sickly existence since childhood, he was filled with fear of the Gamma level.
The Frost-Plated Republic allowed the Grand Duke to control the duchy for so long precisely because he was in constant pain and torment. Only the special drugs and a unique life support system provided by the Frost-Plated Republic could sustain a Gamma-level powerhouse.
The Frost-Plated Republic needed a proxy, someone who would faithfully obey their commands and use the blood and sweat of the Gulanth people to provide them with milk and honey.
The Grand Duke was more than willing to sell out the entire country in exchange for this survival medium. Marlis had no desire to follow in the Grand Duke's footsteps, becoming a twisted monster. More importantly, being spoiled and pampered, he was even less able to endure pain than the Grand Duke.
The Grand Duke didn't want him to rule the country; he wanted to drag him into this mire and escape to the Frost-Plated Republic to avoid the pain.
"There's no choice now... Damn it, how can I reach Gamma level by the end of the year? If I can't do it, he'll definitely kill me."
Marlis was terrified. The Grand Duke, an expert in soul manipulation, even in his old age, could easily have a ghost replace his consciousness and wear his skin.
He didn't want to die, and he didn't want everything he had to be taken by a ghost. Worse yet, his father, as a [Shaman], might use his soul to create a soul artifact or even transform him into a spirit demon, never to rest in peace.
"No, I have to find the Frost-Plated Republic people. At this point, only they can save me."
Marlis had no courage to defy his father's authority and power; he could only seek help from the Frost-Plated Republic. As long as he showed loyalty, they would quickly remove this undead monster, and he didn't care what happened after that, even if they recruited the Gulanth people to fight wars.
He hurriedly ran out of the Surut Palace and boarded his hover car, instructing the driver:
"To the Frost-Plated Embassy, hurry! It's urgent!"
However, the next moment, a large hand suddenly rested on his shoulder.
"I know you're in a rush, but listen to me, don't be too hasty."
His body stiffened, and in the next instant, he saw in the car's rearview mirror a handsome man slowly appear beside him. The man casually wrapped an arm around his shoulder as if they were buddies, saying offhandedly:
"Don't worry, Lord Marlis, no matter how anxious you are, death is inevitable."
By the light, Marlis recognized the man's face and immediately exclaimed, "You... you're Li Aozi!"
"Oh wow, Lord Marlis, so you also visit the Serpent Net." Li Aozi clicked his tongue, "Don't be scared, I just have a few questions for you."
"Forgive me for not trusting you; your reputation is too illustrious. As a GTB fugitive, I'm really scared."
Li Aozi didn't care:
"Is that so? Suit yourself, but I promise, as long as you behave, I won't hurt you."
Lord Marlis readily raised his hands in surrender. Having just been terrorized by his father and the ghost, he was now terrified of death.
Besides, Li Aozi's charm was extraordinary, and his popularity among the people was quite good, so Marlis instinctively felt that Li Aozi wouldn't deceive him.
"Smart choice."
Li Aozi chuckled:
"No need to call the driver. He's probably sleeping in some trash can. The sanitation workers will wake him up tomorrow morning. Now, I have a few questions for you, and you must answer truthfully."
Marlis nodded, "At your service."
Li Aozi nodded slightly and called out to the front, "Barnum, drive!"
"I'm not getting involved in this mess!"
Barnum, sitting in the driver's seat, retorted but instinctively shifted gears and stepped on the gas. The hover car's engines roared to life, lifting the vehicle off the ground as it sped through the streets towards the outskirts under Barnum's control.
"Buckle up."
The capital was still under curfew, but as a vehicle of the Grand Duke's family, no one dared stop it. Barnum floored the gas, racing over the scorched streets, and Li Aozi's interrogation began.
"Go ahead and ask, I won't resist." To show his cooperation, Marlis voluntarily discarded his phone, security tracker, and even handed over his personal gun.
—The man in front of him was not only breathtakingly handsome, but his killing methods were equally terrifying.
Marlis didn't want to die, under any circumstances, so he simply surrendered.
Li Aozi was a bit surprised, looking down on this coward—both Beta level. Look at Du Zexin, a [Mechanic] who never shied from a charge. Then look at you.
And to think the dossier said Marlis was a [Warrior]; Li Aozi could hardly keep it together.
But since the other party was so afraid of death, the interrogation would be easy.
Marlis had read Li Aozi's file; his advisors had told him Li Aozi was brave but foolish, nothing to worry about. He believed the Frost-Plated Republic would handle everything.
Marlis also thought: A Frost-Plated Republic man who didn't even attend college might have some combat power, but he shouldn't be able to ask sensitive questions.
"I'm looking for [Inquisitor] Alexia Emmanuel Justin." Li Aozi said calmly, "Where is she?"
This question wiped the calm and composure off Marlis's face instantly.
"You must be mistaken, are you talking about the [Absolver], the [Questioner]...?"
"No, sir, I know you heard me. You know exactly who I'm talking about."
Li Aozi's tone was very calm, but the content made Marlis feel as if a cruise ship was pressing down on his chest.
'How does he know? We only pass this information by word of mouth. He can't possibly know! He must be bluffing, but... his tone and expression don't suggest he's lying...'
Could there be a mole?
What a joke, only he and the Grand Duke should know about this.
Could the Grand Duke have betrayed such crucial information?
Revealing the [Inquisitor] is as terrifying as leaking nuclear launch codes.
Marlis's heart skipped a beat, almost suffocating, as cold sweat poured from his forehead. His expression shifted from shock to panic, then to dread, and finally, he stared at Li Aozi in disbelief, remaining silent for a full ten seconds before saying:
"You actually know the Inquisitor, how do you know the Inquisitor, and you even remember her real name... This isn't right. You Frost-Plated Republic people—no, this is from the old days—how could you possibly know about this?"
"This..."
Li Aozi answered matter-of-factly:
"According to the Yellow Cuckoo Blood Pact, I'm her fiancé. Is that reason enough?"