The Water King

After Kamuer left, Mira slowly floated down from mid-air.

"Labi, we hope you can give us an explanation."

Chiba turned to look at Labi and said in a deep voice.

From Kamuer's tone, he could tell that Labi was definitely connected to the dark guild Kamuer belonged to, the guild known as "Flames of Life and Death".

Or perhaps they were former trading partners, or... they were partners all along.

Ailong and the others also looked at Labi. They weren't fools, and they naturally knew that Labi and Kamuer must have an extraordinary relationship.

The Labi looked dejected as he sat in the carriage, appearing as if he had aged more than ten years.

Finally, after a long silence, he spoke.

"I was once the president of the Flames of Life and Death."

The Labi's words fell like a bombshell in everyone's ears.

Their eyes widened, and they looked on incredulously.

Chiba frowned, but did not interrupt Labi, waiting for him to continue.

Labi then slowly said, "However, back then, the Flames of Life and Death wasn't a dark guild; it was just a commercial guild, a guild that made its living through commerce, and it wasn't called the Flames of Life and Death at the time."

Everyone remained silent, waiting for him to continue.

The Labi seemed to be lost in memories as well, and began to tell everyone about his past.

"I've long forgotten the name of the guild, but I can never forget my comrades who fought alongside me: Weileier, Luze, Diduo, Makusi, Mili..."

"Our guild was neither too big nor too small at the time. Although we were busy every day, the days of fighting alongside our comrades were truly fulfilling."

"But one day, everything changed."

"During a delivery, we encountered mages from a dark guild. All the mages we hired were killed; they were completely overwhelmed. Later I learned that we had encountered members of the Shadow Skull."

"They didn't kill us right away; instead, they played a game with us."

"They dumped us on a deserted island teeming with monsters. We were all ordinary people without magic, and it was almost impossible for us to move around there."

"We survive by gnawing on tree bark, but ironically, even some trees that have become corrupted have almost killed us."

"There was no dignity there. We huddled in a cave, rarely venturing out to avoid being discovered by the monsters. It was in that sinful place that we fully displayed the ugliness of humanity."

"Struggle, scheming, killing—we kill one another, we eat the flesh and blood of our companions, all in order to survive."

"Yes, it's all about just being able to survive, barely clinging to life."

"Until the very end, I was the only one who survived. I ate them, everyone..."

"The Shadow Skull found me and asked me to do business with them, and I agreed. Because they have a video of me killing my comrades, and once that video is released, I will definitely be sentenced to death."

"Looking back now, perhaps they started that game with the intention of toying with us. Later, they probably thought I still had some use to them, which is why they spared my life. I already had some connections with the kingdom's wealthy people back then."

"The Shadow Skull have me sell a special kind of red wine. This special wine can enhance one's physique, prolong life to a certain extent, and cure most diseases."

"I reorganized the guild and recruited new members, but in the same way, Shadow Skull also assigned some mages to me, Kamuer being one of them."

"Unsurprisingly, these special red wines were snapped up as soon as they entered the market of high-ranking officials. At their peak, a 50ml glass of red wine could sell for 50 million J."

"Because the results are so obvious, even though I look like this, I'm actually over fifty years old. This is the effect of drinking this special red wine for many years."

"The wealthy can't resist the allure of youth, especially those who have built their fortunes from scratch. They started their struggles in their youth, achieved success in their later years, but also lost the prime of their lives. They have no resistance to this kind of red wine. What's more, it can cure the ailments that have accumulated over the years."

"However, this kind of red wine needs to be consumed every year to maintain its youthfulness, which means that we only auction it twice a year, once in the first half and once in the second half, and only fifty glasses are sold each time."

"Are these goods what you're planning to sell in the second half of this year?" Chiba interrupted him at this moment and asked.

He was the only one present who didn't cast a look of disgust at the Labi. His expression, tone, and eyes were all incredibly calm, as if he were truly listening to a story that had nothing to do with him.

In Mira and Ailong's eyes, those who devour the flesh and blood of their own companions to survive are nothing but scum of humanity—no, they don't even deserve to be called human.

But Chiba knew that this was human nature.

Labi was surprised by the boy's gaze, but still said calmly, "That's not the case. These are a different batch of goods, intended for Lord 'Water King'."

Chiba suddenly remembered something. Kamuer had also mentioned Lord Water King and had told Labi, "The King will not let you go."

Who is the Water King?

Labi shook his head. "Nobody knows. Some say it's Lord Saixilu of the 'Throne of Water' of the Shadow Skull, but apart from the Shadow Skull Master and the other Thrones, nobody knows the true identity of the Water King."

"You just said... you were once the president of the Flames of Life and Death... what do you mean?" Mira asked coldly.

Her eyes were filled with extreme hatred as she looked at Labi. But it was no wonder; under Makarov's influence, "guildmates are family," she naturally couldn't understand why Labi would kill his own comrade for survival.

In her view, this was an unforgivable sin!

Labi said, "A few years ago, during a clash with Grimoire Heart, Shadow Skull suffered heavy losses at the hands of Grimoire Heart's 'Seven Kin of Purgatory.' At that time, Flames of Life and Death already had quite a few mages, and in order to support headquarters, Flames of Life and Death officially declared itself a Dark Guild. I don't know magic, so I was naturally stripped of my position as guild leader. But the deals continued in secret."

Chiba said calmly, "So you've told us all this? What does it mean? Does it mean we've officially turned against the Shadow Skull? Or does it mean we won't live much longer?"

"No... what I'm telling you is only what I can tell you. Even if you report these things to the Kingdom or the Magic Council, you'll be stopped halfway through. There are too many people and interests involved; it's already formed a bond. Even if your chairman is Lord Makarov, nothing will change."