Henwell returns once again to the Number Eight Estate.
Lucy, having received the news, rushes over immediately.
After sending everyone else away, Lucy wastes no time and accuses, âYou stole the tax silver!â
Henwell sets down his teacup calmly. âLucy, donât jump to conclusions. Everyoneâs saying it was the River God who took the tax silver!â
Lucy glares at him. âOnly you have the capability to snatch the tax silver in such a short time without leaving any trace!â
Henwell chuckles coldly. âHaha⊠Lucy, thatâs quite the compliment! The Tudor Dynasty is full of talents, but none of us here are top-tier experts. Even in the capital, there are plenty of Fourth Rank masters and several Fifth Rank warriors. Besides, with a well-laid plan, even a Third Rank Martial Warriorâor even a Second Rank Martial Warriorâcould pull this off.â
He narrows his eyes at her. âBy the way, Lucy, are you here representing the court to interrogate me? If so, I suggest you report this directly to the authorities. Neither you nor your subordinates can catch us.â
Seeing Henwellâs displeasure, Lucy softens her tone. âHenwell, Iâm not blaming you. If anyone needs money, just say so! Itâs only a few million gold, I can still provide that. But this whole mess has made things difficult for our upcoming plans. Rumors spread quickly, especially among high-level professionals. If these tax silvers show up in the capital now, itâll only raise suspicion among those watching.â
Henwell waves his hand impatiently. âI told you, itâs not us! What would we do with money? This isnât even our world. Even if we got the gold, we couldnât take it away!â
Lucy grows uncertain, watching Henwellâs irritation.
She thinks to herself, Could it really not be them?
Suppressing her doubts, she asks another question. âHenwell, what about the other members? Have they returned?â
Henwell shrugs. âHow would I know? I donât even know how many came into this world. Theyâve kept it all tightly under wraps! Maybe itâs because of how I look, you think Iâm a foreigner, not one of your own?â
Lucy quickly apologizes. âHenwell, youâre overthinking it. Weâre all brothers and sisters through hardship. Thereâs no âforeignerâ here. This is my fault, Iâve been held back by some issues lately and neglected everyone. Please, Henwell, tell them to come back! Iâm waiting to reunite with everyone.â
Henwell sighs helplessly. âI really donât know where they are! So far, Iâve only seen Liu Mang and Benjamin. By the way, how many actually came? Who are they?â
Lucy eyes him suspiciously and names a few people.
To Henwellâs dismay, three of the names are fake, and two are missing.
Without showing it, Henwell asks, âWhy didnât you bring them to see me sooner? Fang Yuan has helped me a lot, Iâve been wanting to thank him for a long time!â
Lucy asks again, âYou really havenât seen them? Where have you been recently?â
Henwellâs face darkens. âLucy! If you donât trust me, then why did you call me to help? From the moment you walked in, youâve been questioning me like Iâm some suspect! Do you really think Iâm just one of your subordinates?â
âOr do you believe that because this is your turf, you can boss me around? Are you planning to gather a bunch of experts to surround and kill me here, if I donât give you a satisfactory answer?â
A deadly aura bursts from Henwell, his energy locking tightly onto Lucy.
Any sudden move from her, and Henwell would strike to kill.
Feeling the crushing pressure from Henwell, Lucy finally realizes this man is a battle-hardened warrior from another world.
While she was still figuring out which perfume to develop, Henwell was already killing people.
To this day, the number of people Lucy has personally killed doesnât even amount to a fraction of Henwellâs tally.
Sweating profusely, Lucy nervously says, âHenwell, youâve got it all wrong. How could I ever harm you? You were assigned by the higher-ups to assist me. Even if I wanted to, they wouldnât allow me to do such a thing!â
Henwell smirks, thumb flicking his waist as the Dusk Greatsword slides free with a single palm strike. âMaybe youâre planning to betray them. Maybe weâre just your bargaining chips to curry favor with your new master. After all, switching allegiances requires proof of loyalty. What better proof than handing over the best selectors like us?â
Locked in Henwellâs murderous intent, Lucy realizes heâs truly ready to kill her.
Only now does she understand that facing Henwell, she doesnât even have a chance to fight back.
She always thought Henwell was roughly a Third Rank Martial Warrior, never imagining he was this powerful. He is powerful enough to leave her, a Third Rank warrior herself, utterly defenseless.
Lucy doesnât know how much time has passed. With her eyes closed, ready to accept death, she suddenly feels the restraints on her body vanish.
Her clothes soaked with sweat, Lucy collapses to the ground, gasping for breath.
Henwell sheathes his long sword. âApologies, Lucy. You might not know, but in my world, there are traitors. Theyâre not from our group, yet they betray the organization and plan to sell out even more.â
âSince I arrived, your actions have been suspicious, forcing me to doubt your motives. But now it seems youâre not taking the worst path. As long as youâre not betraying the organization, everything is still fine.â
With that, Henwell steps forward and helps Lucy to her feet.
Still shaken but angry, Lucy pushes him away. âYouâre annoying!â
Henwell laughs. âYou should understand why I acted this way. Everything here is unfamiliar, and your behavior was so secretive, I had to be cautious. I think the others disappearing is for the same reason. Youâd better get the mission started soon. If you canât even trust us, then just send us back!â
Lucy sighs. âI told you, itâs my fault, I neglected everyoneâs feelings. In your world, youâre all powerful figures. I didnât adjust my mindset and failed to realize the world doesnât revolve around me.â
âDonât worry, Iâll start the mission as soon as possible. Whether you can contact the others or not, if they come looking for you, please pass along my apologies.â
Henwell nods lightly. âI will. Get me an identity. Starting tomorrow, Iâll enter the capital to prepare for the mission.â
âIâll arrange it. Youâll have the info by noon tomorrow.â
Before leaving, Lucy turns back and asks, âWhat happened to those who betrayed the organization in the end?â
Henwell chuckles softly. âOf course, they died. They were hunted down by the organizationâs special task force for traitors. You donât really think the organization only consists of pioneers like us in different worlds, without any overseers, do you?â