Read Novel Full Chapter 1117: Back and Forth
Chapter 1117: Back and Forth
Author: I’m really sorry about the last Chapter. If you unlocked it yesterday, then you were greeted by a jumbled mess. It has been corrected since, you can read now. I sincerely apologize.
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"The news has reached you, it seems," King Alexios Valorian sighed.
"From what I can tell, the entire kingdom learned this development seemingly overnight," Quinlan responded. Naturally, he first heard about it from his slave Cassandra, then from his slaves Vivienne and Amara Greenvale, but it didn’t take more than a few extra hours until the news reached most of the kingdom.
"You have a truly sophisticated information network," Quinlan added afterward.
"That I do."
"Let me guess, you saw the results of your evil wife’s greed and had a fight. She then decided, or maybe you did it for her, that she should just leave the capital and be useful by killing criminals and capturing me."
"I’ve already told you that you made a giant blunder becoming a criminal, Devil. With that creative mind of yours, you could’ve become a renowned fantasy author."
Quinlan chuckled in response. Naturally, the king wasn’t stupid enough to admit to such things. He could be using recording devices to immortalize the king’s words. As if having his daughter in the custody of a wanted man wasn’t enough, Alexios didn’t feel the urge to give him even more blackmail material.
Furthermore, the capital city was already shaken by the terrorist attack; if they learned that it was conducted from the shadows by the fair and noble Queen Morgana herself, the mild unrest would turn chaotic.
"I need a lot of Vitality stat to keep up with my numerous wives in bed, and Strength stat to beat up any man who dares look for too long. Foregoing XP to sit in my room and write is sadly entirely out of the question. But I do agree, Alexios. With my talents, I’m sure I could become a bestseller on my first try."
The king couldn’t help but release a dry rasp in response, almost sounding as if he was laughing.
But any such sound was quickly suffocated. A lull in the conversation came, which turned the mood serious.
"My wife was attacked by Black Fang on her way to Greenvale," King Alexios said at last. "She and the soldiers gave chase, but the woman disappeared as if she ceased existing."
Quinlan didn’t even need to take a breath before he immediately began feigning curiosity. "That woman is not only crazy strong but mysterious as well. Who knows what kind of tricks she has up her sleeve?"
"I could wager a guess." The king’s tone sharpened. "How about having a certain man up her sleeve who can open a dimensional tear before her so she can slip through and vanish without a trace?"
"My fair king," Quinlan replied smoothly, "if I hadn’t seen Kaede cut space open with my very own eyes, I would think you’ve grown jealous of my creative talents and tried competing with me."
Alexios didn’t so much as twitch at the jab. "I know you can open a portal as well."
"Ah," Quinlan chuckled, though sweat began trickling down his forehead. "When are you publishing your fantasy hit? Suddenly, I’ve become eager to read it. I might even get some inspiration."
The king’s voice remained entirely unimpressed. "How did you escape from my wife and Lilith back in the palace? Before you mention the old fox, let me say this. I know Yoruha well. She has a myriad of abilities, but mass-transporting a group of people isn’t among them. Then I went down into your cavern beneath the capital. I slid for more than a mile to reach a clearing deep under the earth. Yet curiously, the path abruptly ended. No branching tunnels, no hidden paths. Just a dead end." 𝑅𝘈Νố₿ƐṨ
Quinlan’s smirk froze in place. However, shit spewed from his mouth as naturally as he breathed, so his silence only lasted for a single moment. "That’s because-"
But he was interrupted.
"Don’t try to tell me you dug a hole and covered it afterward using your earth elemental powers. My trackers followed your mana signature. The trail ended abruptly. Almost as if... You teleported away."
He waited for a second before adding, "And yes, you were right earlier. I do indeed have a very sophisticated information network. I’ve ordered it to learn everything it can about you. More than a few interesting stories have surfaced. Tales of you appearing and disappearing without explanation. Of tails lost in the wind, no matter how careful they swore they were. Even when you were a low-level nobody with weak elemental magic, talented rogues were thrown off your tail."
’The bastards sold me out...’ Quinlan cursed inwardly. The cracks were showing already. The Consortium had started tearing itself apart; its members must’ve become desperate enough to whisper his secrets for favors with the authorities. The rats were selling him out piece by piece.
The king’s information network must’ve gotten some informants, as nobody knew more about his exploits and mysteries than the Consortium itself.
Perhaps this also played a factor into Black Fang’s home being attacked so swiftly by Kaede and Lilith.
This was bad news. Not because the king knew about his teleportation spell being such a tragedy, but because of what it implied.
If the king understood his ability to summon a portal, then that would have to mean he began taking countermeasures. A man who could open a dimensional door right in the royal palace was as big a threat as any.
’Such shit timing!’ Quinlan cursed for a second time. He was already forming a plan to end the hunt for his life in one fell swoop.
With Black Fang in his home, he planned to ask the woman to call upon the strongest fighters of the Consortium. The other Obsidian Circle Members, as well as their best Veil Walkers.
Quinlan would gather them all in a single place and then open a portal right into the royal palace, storming it. King Alexios was incredibly strong, and he had the greatest bodyguard unit known to mankind in the form of the Aegis Vanguard.
But could they put up a fight when an entire battalion of level 60+ combatants rushed the palace from within its walls? At a perfectly timed, delicate moment at that?
Chances were that the answer was a big, fat, no.
They could’ve killed the king, and then the country would suddenly find itself having much bigger things to worry about than hunting criminals in the Duchy of Greenvale.
Quinlan was only hours away from initiating this plan, wanting to let Black Fang rest a bit first.
"So why did you call me, Alexios? Was it only to brag about your newest ramblings? Unlike you, I’m a busy man with many needy wives to attend to, so I’d appreciate it if you only bothered me when it was warranted. Write your theories down and publish them in the fantasy section. I’ll read the book later. I’ll even pay for it as the good and misunderstood citizen that I am."
"You have an especially sharp tongue on you today, boy. I can’t help but get the impression that I hit the nail right on its head."
The king quickly followed it up. "The reason I called should be obvious."