The Madman

Chapter 50: The Madman

The aircraft slowly landed on the tarmac inside the gladiatorial arena.

Security Mechs lined up and prepared to escort Qin Xia back to the cave.

As he disembarked, Braun patted Qin Xia on the back. "Go back with peace of mind, great inventor. The detection devices along the path to the cave won't find your little technological creation hidden beneath that invisibility cloak. You can take them back safely without me accompanying you."

A flicker of surprise crossed Qin Xia's face, then he nodded. "Alright, Mr. Zobayan. Have a pleasant flight."

"What's that reference supposed to mean?" Braun asked.

"Top Gun," Qin Xia replied.

"Well, that's pretty good," Braun said, breaking into a wide smile.

Qin Xia glanced at Braun again, opened the cabin door, and jumped out. Under the watchful eyes of the Security Mechs, he walked further into the arena.

Braun also got off the aircraft and leaned against its outer shell, just as he had when he first met Qin Xia, watching him go.

Qin Xia had another question he wanted to ask, and he instinctively turned back to look at Braun.

In just a few steps, Qin Xia had already gone quite far. He couldn't ask his question now.

"Goodbye," Braun said, raising his hand in a wave.

Qin Xia nodded and turned to continue walking.

At that moment, both Braun and Qin Xia felt that the conversation they'd just had during their journey was quite pleasant.

Braun usually pretended to be a madman, and at most, when he was occasionally tired of pretending, he would pretend that his Butcher's Nails weren't tormenting him for a few minutes, allowing himself to be a normal person for a short while.

Whether facing Tarkos or anyone else, he had no one to converse with freely.

"Go maintain my aircraft! Now! Immediately, damn it!"

Qin Xia heard Braun roaring and yelling at the arena staff.

However, the sound seemed somewhat reluctant in Qin Xia's ears.

When Qin Xia reached the straight corridor leading to the cave, he suddenly saw the patriarch of the House of Tal walking with someone who looked like the new arena supervisor.

The two were chatting and laughing, clearly enjoying each other's company.

"That bastard Vizz pretended to obey me, but he sold the things I gifted him to those bastards in the House of Julius. The House of Julius might use my things for curse rituals, but that's fine, I can tolerate it."

"But that bastard actually deceived me. He told me he sent his wife and daughter into the cave to spend Revelry Day."

"But he didn't, in reality."

"I was just speaking out of anger at the time, you understand? I didn't want to treat him so cruelly. He could have not sent his wife and daughter in and then honestly told me: 'Oh, sorry, my lord, I did not execute your command. Please kill me.'"

"It's fine, I could have spared him and even rewarded him for his honesty, for not fearing being killed by me."

"..."

Tarkos spoke incessantly, a pained expression on his face.

The new supervisor beside him remained expressionless, merely nodding and murmuring in agreement.

People like him were the lowest tier even among echo worms.

"Look who's back," Tarkos stopped and looked at Qin Xia enthusiastically, spreading his arms. "Did you kill the supervisor's entire family?"

Qin Xia naturally didn't go to hug Tarkos, who had his arms outstretched. Instead, he stood in place, looking down at the most powerful man on Nuceria.

"Indeed," Qin Xia nodded. "Not a single person was left in the estate."

"His daughter wasn't left either?" Tarkos suddenly looked mournful. "I... when his daughter was little, she stayed with me for a year. My wife and I liked her very much... Did you kill her too?"

Qin Xia nodded.

Honestly, he wasn't sure. Perhaps the supervisor's daughter had gone out and hadn't returned.

He hadn't bothered to look for bodies to investigate at the time.

"Ancestors..." Tarkos's tears fell like a broken string of pearls. "I've made another mistake... Why can't these things go smoothly and precisely as I wish?"

The new supervisor gently patted Tarkos's back.

"Since they're all dead... I must pull myself together..." Tarkos took a deep breath and raised his head, as if trying to force his tears back. "Besides, that little girl wasn't exactly a saint. She played with and killed quite a few people. It's fine that she's dead."

Tarkos instantly returned to normal, his enthusiastic expression back. "I want to invite you to my brother's house. We can watch together what his expression was when all his sons died."

As he spoke, Tarkos gestured animatedly, his hands and body moving.

"You were the one who killed all his sons. If you go to his performance, it will definitely be more interesting."

"And then... then we'll kill him."

"Using your Sorcery."

Tarkos swayed from side to side, making a motion as if forcefully twisting something.

"Twist his head off too!"

"By the way, can you only twist heads? Can you twist limbs or something?"

"If you can, start by breaking my brother's limbs, little by little. If you can't, then forget it. I won't force you. I know your sorcery isn't that easy to handle."

"..."

Qin Xia looked at Tarkos, remaining silent.

A lunatic.

That was Qin Xia's assessment of Tarkos.

He didn't know what this man had been through or how he'd become the patriarch. All he knew was that this man was insane. The only benefit he offered to ordinary people was that he at least treated actual slaves as sentient beings rather than excrement.

Qin Xia couldn't help but marvel at the complexity of the situation.

This madman, this chilling madman, was able to provide him with what he needed to achieve his goals, things he could never obtain even after fighting for countless days and nights in the arena for the spectators.

"Ailong is dead," the new manager said.

"What?!" Tarkos was taken aback.

"He's dead," the manager repeated in a low voice. "I received the report this morning and was just about to tell you."

Tarkos stood there, his face a mask of bewilderment.

His expression was as unpredictable as his personality, shifting from sadness to elation, from schadenfreude to fear.

"It's fine," Tarkos reached out and gently patted Qin Xia's arm. "It's good that he's dead. Don't worry about him being my brother. When we were young, he and his father often tied me to a tree and used me as a target to practice their cutting. So, I hated him. You don't have to worry about me retaliating against you."

"But he was indeed my brother. We were very close when we were little."

"No matter what... I... I actually feel like he shouldn't have died. It wasn't his fault that he became like that, but the environment's fault."

"I... I... Ailong..."

Tarkos stammered, speaking incoherently.

The new manager gently patted Tarkos's back and consoled him in a low voice, "If you think he deserves to die, then he deserves to die. Even if you only had the thought of him dying for a moment, he deserves to die. You are the master of House Tarkos, you are the top of the top nobles. Everything in House Tarkos is your private property to dispose of as you please. It's just one person who died."

"But Ailong was my brother," Tarkos said softly. "How could I..."

"It's alright, Master. His life is your private property, just like everyone and everything in House Tarkos, and the nobles who serve House Tarkos, and us slaves." The manager consoled him sincerely.

"You're right... brother. No matter what, we are one step closer to my goal of slaughtering all the nobles." Tarkos's eyes welled up with tears as he took deep breaths. "Thank you for comforting me."

The manager nodded repeatedly.

"I will achieve my goals, won't I?" Tarkos suddenly looked at Qin Xia, asking sincerely. "You will help me too, after all, you hate them too, right?"

Qin Xia looked into Tarkos's eyes.

This mentally disturbed person always made him feel a chill.

"Lord Tarkos is not mentally stable right now. If you have something to say, please wait until later. I will arrange it then." The new arena manager made a gesture for Qin Xia to leave. "You can go back now. If you need anything, just speak to the communicator on the gate. I will listen and consider it."

Qin Xia walked past Tarkos.

Tarkos watched Qin Xia's retreating back and asked the manager, "He will help me, won't he? He and his gladiator friends?"

"Yes, Master. You have a great goal. So, of course, without a doubt."

The new manager soothed Tarkos as if he were a child.