Dark King

The man nodded: “We are investing all our financial resources and materials in the war as the outbreak of war is inevitable. We have taken this opportunity to associate ourselves with the Temple too. We have been very careful in our deployments but I have heard rumors that after the war we will be creating an alliance with Scott consortium…”

“Alliance?”

“With the Scott consortium?”

The people on both sides of the table were surprised as they looked at each other. Some of them laughed out loud.

Mark’s eyebrows tightly wrinkled: “Is it because of age that my hearing has become so bad? Am I hallucinating? How can you come up with such an absurd and fantastic thing. I’m beginning to doubt that you have come from the inner wall.”

The man laughed: “Mr Mark I was just saying the things that I have heard. After listening to you deny it, now it seems more foolish than ever.”

Mark continued: “I’m interested in people who are spreading such rumors. You should look into the source of the rumors.”

The man respectfully replied: “Of course, I will look into the details even if you didn’t ask for that.”

…

…

Mount Er. Burong castle.

Rudolph directly went back to his home after the conference. He took off his jacket and handed to maid that was inside the castle. He removed his hat and threw it at female servant. The latter rushed out to catch it as she was scared for the hat to feel onto ground.

“Master.” Butler greeted Rudolph inside the castle: “Miss wants to see you …”

“I don’t have time.” Rudolph quickly went upstairs through the hall.

“You may not have time but I do.” A figure came out from the corner of the second floor and stopped in front of Rudolph. It was Jenny who was wearing a green skirt.

Rudolph stared at her for a moment then went into his office. Jenny followed into the office after him and sat down. Rudolph sat by his desk. She handed out the newspaper: “Father, this is the newspaper written by agency under Mellon consortium. You had promised me that as long as I don’t see him then you won’t hurt him. Why?”

Rudolph looked at the sketch of the teenager’s face on the newspaper’s cover. He recovered his eyes and looked at her daughter. He indifferently said: “The reason is clearly written in the newspaper.”

“Father!” Jenny continued in bitter tone: “It’s fake. Do you think that you can convince me with such a reason? He is one of the most prominent architect’s in the Temple. As long as he wants then he can make lots of money from six consortia including our Mellon consortium. Is he short of money? Even if he lacked he wouldn’t do such a thing!”

Rudolph looked at her with a poker face: “Perhaps he is after revenge? It doesn’t mean he would do such a thing if he is rich!”

“No, never!” Jenny stared at him: “I know him well. He would never do such a move!”

Rudolph indifferently replied: “Never say never. He has spent three years in Thorn Flower prison…Who knows what kind of changes happened inside him after being in that kind of environment? If you argue that he doesn’t hate…Would you believe in that? Should I believe in that?”

Jenny heard the rhetorical questions of her father. She stared at his eyes: “Hate! Of course he would hate you! You have wronged him and you deserve his hate! However he would never use such a mean to retaliate against us! Do you know the number of casualties? He is not that cold! I believe in him!”

Rudolph slowly raised his eyes then looked back at the newspaper: “If he had the status which has today three years ago then I would never object for you two to be together… But now it is impossible. You don’t know how people change in environments like Thorn Flower Prison! Perhaps…”

He stopped the moment he said the word ‘perhaps’… Rudolph slowly said: “I have already promised you that I won’t participate in such a deal. I too believe that he won’t collide with the barbarians. But don’t treat him as the ignorant teenager from three years ago.. Actually he wasn’t an ignorant teenager back then. He had the strength of primary hunter. He was able to run away from a group of hunters.. His mind is beyond your understanding.. I think that you are way too far away from him…”

Jenny’s eye opened wide: “If you aren’t involved in it.. Then who…”

“It’s the planning of your childhood playmate.” Rudolph slightly frowned as he looked at her: “You should be aware that our position in the Mellon consortium is deteriorating as a result of Mel family’s attacks. Now our shares have fallen less than 30 percent. Mel family can control the consortium on their own and today Mark brought his daughter into the conference. Altough I was aware that the girl was as cunning as her grandfather but I didn’t imagine that she would be so insidious. She was the mastermind. I think even if the kid has so much fame and wealth but it wouldn’t take long for her to send him back to the prison.”

Jenny was shocked: “Do…Are you talking about Sarah? How could she participate in the conference? She was played around all day long. She didn’t even attend parties so that she could listen to concerts or learn piano. How could she be let into the conference?”

Rudolph sighed: “It seems the little girl was more capable that I thought she is. She has learnt to disguise herself from the young age.”

Jenny stared at him as her face was blank and her head buzzed in confusion. Pictures passed in front of her eyes. She recovered the next instant: “I always though that she was different from the other girls which were grew up with. I understand it now. She had said that poetry wasn’t worth for her to pursue. She had told me that her dream is to have soo much wealth that it could fill in the giant wall full and she would stand on top of tower made out of gold to watch the landspace outside the giant wall.”

Rudolph was stunned: “How old was she when she had said it?”

Jenny replied: “If I’m not mistaken then we were eight that year. We were talking about our dreams and I remember thinking that she was making a joke at that time. However it really seems that this is what she loved.”

“Her goals are same as with her grandfather. If George was 20 years old right now I think in 30 years the Mel family would have control over the whole Silvia…But… ” Rudolph looked at Jenny with a trace of fatherly love in his eyes:” Your life is much more meaningful in comparison to theirs. Don’t worry I will top over them!”

Jenny bit her lips as she whispered: “Father, will you?”

“Yes.”

…

…

Outside the wilderness.

Dudian went through the mountains as Gwyneth and Sergei followed after him. Along the way they beheaded some mutated beasts. Most of the beasts were mutated because of the radiation. These were the ones that were killed by adventurers and sold in the black market.

“Master, where are we going?” Sergei asked as he followed behind. He was curious as it seemed that Dudian knew the route they were rushing out.