Madigan's Prophecy

"First, tell me why you're here. Who owns this camp?"

Juan, sprawled on the ground and covered in sweat from the pain, looked up at Li Ang blankly. "You attacked without even knowing who owned this camp?"

Li Ang swung his hammer down, missing Juan's head and smashing a crater into the ground. "Am I asking you, or are you asking me?"

Juan shivered, his voice speeding up. "I'm wanted by the Lion Knight Order, so I came here to hide... This camp belongs to Young Master Foucher! Please don't hit me anymore..."

Foucher's?

Didn't they say it was built by Duke Alma's nephew?

Oh, right... nowadays, the public story for an illegitimate son is usually 'nephew'.

Li Ang slapped his own head. He had overlooked that detail.

It made sense that Foucher would build this camp on the border of his father's territory while he went to Mistveil City to get his Pioneer Lord certificate.

"Foucher is still on the west coast, right? Then who's in charge of this camp? Also, how much do you know about Foucher colluding with the Gatus?"

Juan stared blankly at Li Ang. "I'm currently in charge of the camp, but I only arrived yesterday... The previous person in charge returned to Lion Lake City yesterday."

He swallowed, then glanced fearfully at the bloodstained hammer before continuing, "Sir, I only know that Young Master Foucher said he wanted to control Count Oden's territory, and that he had some dealings with the Gatus, but I really don't know the specifics... I'm just a nobody..."

Hmm, that was plausible.

Someone like Juan, a mere thug, probably wouldn't know many details...

"What about Fletcher Village? Has Foucher taken control of it?"

Li Ang thought of the strangeness in the village.

"That village... the captain of the militia patrol is one of our men..."

No wonder. The patrol would know everything, and the old village chief was likely kept in the dark by them.

Li Ang sorted out the external situation and decided to ask about his own matters.

"When we were in Lion City, whose orders were you following when you chased me?"

Juan's forehead was no longer sweating, but his face was still deathly pale. "No one ordered it... Sir... we weren't targeting you specifically... It's because the organization's higher-ups issued a bounty of two thousand dinars for the capture or death of a certain outsider with black hair and black eyes... This bounty has been active for nearly a year and has never been revoked."

"Who issued the bounty? I'm not the only one with black hair and black eyes, am I? You can collect a bounty based on just that description?"

Li Ang was very confused.

Juan now looked like he would spill everything. "I wouldn't know the origin of the bounty, being a nobody... I'm also not sure exactly who they're after. But since the order is out, we'll try anyone who fits the description of having black hair and black eyes. It's two thousand dinars, after all... If we find the right person, we won't have to worry for the rest of our lives..."

Sarah added from the side, "Even if they kill the wrong person, it doesn't matter to them... Robbing outsiders is their usual business anyway."

Juan forced a pained, ugly smile to show he was appeasing them, nodding vigorously.

"Don't lie to me... I met Foucher in Mistveil City, and he didn't seem intent on killing me! What's the real reason? Who are these higher-ups you mentioned?!"

In the Mistveil City arena, Foucher's attitude was bad, but he clearly wasn't trying to collect a bounty on him, otherwise, he probably wouldn't have escaped Mistveil City!

Seeing Li Ang's displeased expression and the hammer raised again, Juan cowered in fear and quickly replied, "I wouldn't dare lie to you! Young Master Foucher is just our sponsor; he's not part of the Brotherhood... As for the organization's higher-ups, the organization has always used secret letters to issue orders, and we've never met the real higher-ups. Really! I swear!"

It seemed this Crimson Brotherhood was very mysterious internally...

That made sense. An illegal organization involved in assassination, slave trading, robbery, drug trafficking, and all sorts of other wicked deeds would naturally keep its high-ranking members unknown.

But Li Ang felt a bit anxious. This kind of baseless bounty was more troublesome than being hunted due to deep-seated hatred. He had no idea how to resolve it.

"You really have no idea why?"

His mood wasn't good, and his gaze at Juan became increasingly unfriendly.

Juan hastily began to answer, "We've guessed... we've guessed! It seems to be related to a legend... Madigan's Prophecy! Oh, and it might also be related to the Bloody Plague..."

Li Ang looked at Sarah in confusion. He had just heard her talk about this famous prophecy the day before yesterday.

In fact, it was a story widely circulated in taverns across the continent...

Legend had it that over a hundred years ago, a famous prophet—or rather, a charlatan—named 'Madigan' had prophesied that a hero would unite the Pande Continent and rebuild the glorious ancient empire.

Li Ang thought it was perfectly normal; this was basically the daily routine of charlatans—the world, after a long period of division, tends to unite. Eventually, someone would appear.

In his past life, Li Ang had even been told by a fortune teller that he had the appearance of an emperor... yet he ended up as a shut-in...

But in this era, this charlatan quickly drew the condemnation of all the kingdoms—freedom of speech wasn't exactly prevalent back then, and Madigan's prophecy was essentially a curse on the current rulers, predicting their eventual annihilation.

The consequences were severe. Madigan was executed for persisting in his prophecy.

He died in Lion City, beneath the continent's tallest structure, the former Pande Noble Court Square—now King Ulrich's back garden. Who knew if it was haunted.

Despite being a charlatan, his attitude of sticking to his beliefs even unto death was at least worthy of respect.

So, this was originally a tragic and serious matter.

Later, as one 'Child of Prophecy' after another emerged, Madigan's prophecy gradually became a joke.

The first 'hero' was an outlaw knight. He conquered several villages with his formidable swordsmanship, claiming he would lead the people to rebuild Pande. But within days, all his misdeeds were exposed.

Robbing merchant caravans, raping women, plundering villagers, trafficking drugs... he had done almost everything shameful. In the end, his corpse—or rather, his skin—was found in Dexia, completely devoid of flesh and internal organs, like a cicada's shed exoskeleton.

The second was a slave trader. With immense wealth, he led many mercenaries to rampage across Pande, burning, killing, and plundering, capturing civilians for slavery. But he didn't enjoy his freedom for long before mysteriously being wiped out at the foot of the Misty Mountains. It was said that only the heads of him and his subordinates remained, neatly stacked into a small mountain on the ice fields, with not a single corpse found.

The third was a sorcerer. He called himself the 'Child of Prophecy' with his sorcery, but it turned out he was a leader of the Snake Worship Cult. He constantly brainwashed his followers and, with great creativity, produced the first-ever infomercial in Pande's history—during an illegal gathering, he extensively promoted a mysterious 'cure-all' medicine, reportedly earning tens of thousands of dinars in one go...

But perhaps because he amassed too much wealth, this streamer eventually drew the encirclement and suppression of the Bacchus Empire. His corpse was also said to be bizarre—covered in green scales, with reptilian vertical pupils, extremely hideous.

By now, the term 'Child of Prophecy' had basically become a vulgar insult in taverns. Almost every adventurer would jokingly call the other a 'Scrap of Prophecy'. The image of a hero had long since vanished.