Chapter 30 Water Demon (2)

The maid dared not respond, for this was not a topic she could engage in, even behind closed doors.

Lord Viscount was a stern master, and servants who disobeyed in the estate often met a grim fate, serving as food for the fishes.

Her sole duty was to attend to the young lady and ensure she did not stray beyond the estate’s boundaries.

The maid made an attempt to grab the blonde little girl’s arm, but the girl abruptly halted, delivering a resounding slap across the maid’s cheek.

“You’re nothing more than a servant. Who gave you permission to touch me?” The blonde little girl spoke with disdain.

The maid covered her stinging cheek and hung her head.

“Let me make it clear— where I go is none of your concern. You will stay here, and you’re not to breathe a word to my father, or I’ll have my brother beat you to death,” the blonde little girl snorted before briskly departing.

The maid’s face turned ashen.

She was at a loss for what to do. If the young lady were to disappear, she would surely be beaten to death at the hands of Lord Viscount.

The young lady had a volatile temper, especially the young master, who was domineering and often beat many servants to death.

Just as the maid was wrestling with her thoughts, the blonde little girl had already scampered far away.

The maid collected herself and quickly hurried in the direction the young lady had gone.

Lynn’s eyes flickered slightly.

“Hmph, finally managed to shake her off. I refuse to be wedded to an old man,” Vielvi pouted and muttered to herself, hiding behind a flower bed.

As she was about to rise, a large hand reached over from behind and covered her mouth.

“Shh, lady, please be quiet. You wouldn’t want your lovely face to get accidentally scratched, would you?” A frigid blade lightly grazed her tender cheek.

Vielvi’s face turned pallid, and her eyes darted helplessly in all directions.

But this place was too secluded, and ordinarily, there were very few visitors. She had deliberately hid here.

At this moment, Vielvi was beginning to regret her decision.

“I ask, you answer. If you take more than two seconds to ponder, my hand might accidentally tremble,” Lynn’s gentle voice resonated from behind.

“Where have all those people your father abducted disappeared to?” Lynn inquired.

“I didn’t know,” Vielvi shook her head.

“I don’t want to ask a third time,” Lynn warned.

Vielvi was on the verge of tears, but suddenly a detail flashed through her mind.

“I really didn’t know, but I have an idea where they might be hidden,” Vielvi began to speak.

“Some of the condemned prisoners from the ports were locked in the basement. If there’s a place to hide people, it’s probably there,” Vielvi said.

Basement…

Lynn squinted, it did sound like a good place to hide someone.

“Take me to the basement,” Lynn ordered.

Lynn nodded toward the distance, and Lauren, who had crawled out of the pit with his butt stuck out, also nodded to Lynn.

***

Surprisingly, the basement was located in a building near the riverbank.

Many dense trees grew between here and the estate.

Taking advantage of the cover provided by the large trees, Lynn sneaked up to the entrance of the building by the river.

Apart from an iron lock and a barred iron gate, there was no one at the entrance.

The soil beneath Lynn’s feet loosened, and a huge monster emerged from the ground.

Vielvi watched in shock as the monster crawled out of the earth.

Already frightened, she became even more terrified.

The Iron Earthworm opened its mouth and devoured the iron lock as if it were a piece of chocolate.

Iron shavings fell like crumbs from the corners of its mouth onto the ground.

The iron gate was pushed open, revealing a dark staircase leading to the basement.

Lynn tightened his grip on his staff and communicated with the Iron Earthworm through the metal wristband on his wrist. After confirming that there were no people hidden in the darkness, Lynn proceeded.

Letting the Iron Earthworm lead the way, Lynn, holding Vielvi hostage, entered the basement. Shortly after Lynn vanished, Lauren, moving stealthily, tiptoed to the doorway and followed suit, swiftly closing the iron gate behind him.

Drip, drip…

The sound of water droplets falling onto the floor echoed through the space.

The basement proved even more damp than Lynn had anticipated.

“There is… there is…” the Iron Earthworm communicated to Lynn, providing some cryptic information.

It conveyed that there was something ahead, but given its limited intelligence, it struggled to specify precisely what it was.

As Lynn journeyed deeper, he noticed that the rooms lining the corridor on both sides seemed oddly familiar, reminiscent of the cells he had seen in teacher Angley’s designs.

However, these cells were all empty.

The basement was deep, spanning several layers beneath the surface. Lynn surmised that if they continued descending, they would find themselves at an elevation even lower than the adjacent canal.

Were the Viscount’s family planning to build an underwater amusement park or something?

Despite this humorous thought, Lynn remained cautious.

As for Vielvi, trembling with fear, she clung to Lynn as if she were a quail.

Lynn’s arm locked around her throat like an iron collar, making Vielvi feel somewhat constricted, and even the act of breathing became a struggle.

However, for some unknown reason, Vielvi didn’t dislike this… even though she should have been afraid of this man, she found herself curious about him.

Lynn furrowed his brow, realizing that the girl in his arms had somehow looped her arms around his waist.

This made walking a bit awkward for him.

Lynn fiercely tapped Vielvi’s backside with his magic staff. “Don’t obstruct me!”

He scolded her in a low voice, his warm breath brushing against Vielvi’s ear.

The girl in his arms went even softer, like a puddle of water.

Lynn’s brow furrowed even tighter, and he pushed the girl away, then grabbed her by the back of her neck, holding her like a baby chick.

If there was any danger, he would not hesitate to throw her out.

“Up ahead…” came the feedback from the Iron Earthworm.

They had reached the end of the corridor.

Before them stretched a vast, open room.

There was a faint, indistinct sound of water splashing.

Lynn stopped in his tracks, pausing for a moment, with Lauren following from behind.

“Boss¹.”

The sudden voice from behind startled Vielvi.

Lauren had arrived in the evening, unable to enter the port during the day. He had followed the scent to catch up.

Considering Lauren’s combat prowess, Lynn had also brought him along.

“Boss, can you see clearly?” Lauren asked.

“Bullshit,” Lynn retorted.

“Boss, an oil lamp.” Lauren extended a hand from beneath his tattered curtain, holding an oil lamp.

The hardships of their journey had taken their toll, leaving Lauren’s curtain attire even more weathered.

“You could have mentioned it earlier,” Lynn remarked. They had been stumbling through the dark, which was far from convenient.

From beneath the curtain, Lauren retrieved a flint lighter and helped Lynn light the oil lamp.

With the lamp in hand, Lynn surveyed the surroundings.

Vielvi stole a surreptitious glance at Lynn. His skin had always been fair, but three months of life in a lodge with no sunlight had left it even paler, his lips thin, and his features finely chiseled and handsome.

Though his first impression might not have been striking, he possessed a unique charm.

Lynn took in the sights around him. Several pillars supported the grand hall, but only half of it was solid ground— the other half was a turbulent body of water.

Dark waves crashed against the slate floor of the hall. On the ceiling, two exceptionally long chains hung from the rafters, descending into the water.

The chains swayed slightly, disturbed by something beneath.

A dark tangle of water plants emerged from the water’s surface.

Splash——

The rusted chain swayed, and a cyan hand rested on the stone edge of the shore.

Upon witnessing this scene, Vielvi let out a scream and attempted to hide behind Lynn.

“I thought who could it be, turns out it’s my dear niece,” a cyan face surfaced from the water. The mass of water plants became damp hair clinging to the face. As the figure grinned, it revealed a mouthful of sharp teeth.

Lynn observed the figure, narrowing his eyes, recalling what Big Goldtooth had mentioned about water demons.

He did bear a resemblance.

The water demon crawled out of the water, and once he stood up, Lynn realized he exceeded two meters in height. Chains were fastened around his ankles.

“My lovely niece, have you missed me? Have you finally decided to come visit Uncle?” The water demon’s arms were elongated, almost reaching his knees. He tilted his head, his face displaying madness.

——

1. TL/N: Lauren had been addressing Lynn as Master (主人) prior, suddenly now he changed to Boss (老大), perhaps starting to get closer and feeling more comfortable around Lynn? ↩︎

T/L Bonus: Unofficial illustration of the water demon.

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