Poisoning

Chapter 43: Poisoning

Ha swallowed hard. He looked at Dole, his face frighteningly grim. The moment he saw those wounds, he knew what kind of suffering Dole had endured at the police station.

He desperately wanted to ask, "How did you escape?" But he found he could not force the words out. This child truly had a fate full of twists and turns.

After some thought, he said, "Since that's the case, I won't ask. The fact that you came to me means you're giving Ha some face. Leave the matter of finding you work to me." He turned in a circle and said, "Besides Old Ke Smithy, I also manage two other smithies. One is at the crossroads—you should have seen it, Montuo Smithy."

"Do you want revenge?" Ha asked casually.

Dole looked Ha straight in the eye. The old laughing, carefree expression had vanished from his face without a trace. He merely nodded in silence, not answering the question, before saying, "I'll come see you in a few days. I just wanted to give you a heads-up first."

Harley nodded. Dole coming to him was already enough to satisfy him. The boy's character was still decent, and now that he had finally been found, all that mattered was that he was safe. The worry weighing on Harley's heart for so long was finally lifted.

"Fine. Then be careful. Come find me anytime if something happens," Harley said. Once the words left his mouth, he realized he had said something wrong. If Dole could escape from the police station, what could Harley possibly help him with?

He felt a faint sense of self-mockery.

Dole nodded. "Then thank you, Ha. As for what happened today?"

"You know, and I know."

Dole gave Ha a bow, then turned and left with Bal.

Dis, Carmen, Fele, Aoduo, and his son—those five all had to die. Dole had endured hours of savage beating. If not for Bal, he would surely have died without even a burial ground, perhaps tossed into some stinking gutter where no one would ever know. Such a suffocatingly humiliating death had long filled Dole's heart with fury and boundless resentment. If he did not avenge this hatred, he would scarcely be human.

Between life and death lay a great terror, but also a great resolve. After this ordeal, Dole's nature gradually turned cold and indifferent.

Dole did not go back. Instead, he timed things carefully and found a place to eat near the city gates. As he ate, he cast seemingly casual glances toward the gate.

Whether it was Aoduo or Sam, both returned from Bianchi Mine every day. Sam came back earlier, while Aoduo returned later because he liked to fool around. This was their usual routine. Dole needed to follow them and learn their home address.

He had waited for this day for a long time—nearly four full months. Now everything was ready; all that remained was to kill.

Before long, Sam and Aoduo entered from outside at the same time. Father and son came one after the other, accompanied by several others, riding slowly into the city in Bianchi Mine's carriage. They chatted and laughed, a stark contrast to Dole's gloomy expression.

Dole stuffed the rest of his meal into his mouth, wiped his lips unhurriedly, then paid the bill.

Four copper coins. Quite cheap.

The carriage moved slowly. He followed behind it with an air of indifference, and before long, they arrived in Duomeng City's eastern district.

In Duomeng City's southern district, the southwest was the slums, while the southeast held ordinary residences. The city lord's manor and administrative hall stood in the middle. The northwest was the noble district, and the northeast was the wealthy district—each category clearly separated.

The main commercial streets were near the southern gate, stretching all the way toward the city center.

Duomeng City was a mountain city and not very large. Though its population was fairly sizable, its commercial district had only three streets. The central one was Duomeng Avenue; to its east and west were Link Avenue and Aolai Avenue, each controlled by different factions.

Duomeng Avenue led directly to the city lord's manor, while Link Avenue and Aolai Avenue were slightly longer, extending all the way to the northern city wall.

There were many people in the city, and the carriage was slow, but Sam and Aoduo soon got off. They hailed a carriage of their own and headed toward the southeastern part of the city.

Dole quietly followed behind them.

In truth, if he could wait a little longer—until he advanced to the high level—it would be much easier. Then he could simply use potion markers and sense them directly, without having to tail them so painstakingly. But he could not wait that long.

The eastern district was vast, filled everywhere with ordinary homes. The carriage soon wound through several turns and entered a slightly more northern alley. It drove in, then stopped before the door of a large household.

Dole followed carefully from behind and watched from afar.

Only after the two went inside did he pretend to be wandering around aimlessly, strolling through the nearby area.

Naluye's first rule: always pay attention to safety.

To kill someone, one had to thoroughly scout out their location, the surrounding routes, the directions from which enemies might appear, and arrange an escape route as best as possible.

Still, Dole knew that nearly half a year had passed. Sam and his son should have lowered their guard by now.

To avoid drawing attention, Dole did not stay long. He decided to come again tomorrow.

He had already waited half a year. A few more days did not matter.

Though he had waited for this day for a very long time.

Over the next few days, Dole investigated Sam's household.

There were five people in Sam's home: Sam himself; Sam's son, Aoduo; Sam's wife, a very shrewish woman; and two slaves without commoner status.

The slaves had been bought from the market, costing Sam only fifty silver coins. Human lives were cheap beyond belief.

Aoduo also had an older brother who was a soldier and did not live at home.

Dole did not think too much about it. Whatever the case, he would kill these two dogs first. If the eldest son wanted revenge for his father and younger brother, Dole would not mind killing one more.

After confirming this information, Dole investigated Sam's two neighboring households.

By a fortunate coincidence, one of the neighboring families was away, giving Dole plenty of room to maneuver.

Every morning, Sam's two slaves went to the market together to buy vegetables. At that time, Sam and Aoduo would leave as well, leaving only Sam's shrewish wife in the house.

It was like this almost every day.

The layout of the house was simple too. It had four large rooms, a living room, and a small courtyard. There was a privy in the courtyard. Behind the house was a storeroom holding everyday necessities.

Once he had confirmed all this, Dole prepared to act.

On the first day of July, when dawn was barely breaking, Sam and Aoduo left the house together. Naturally, a carriage arrived at their door to take them to the main street, where they would transfer to Bianchi Mine's dedicated carriage. This was the privilege of being stewards.

At the same time, the two slaves went out together to buy groceries.

Everything was going according to plan.

After seeing all this from atop the wall, Dole quietly climbed over and dropped down beneath the wall of Aoduo's courtyard. He glanced toward the distant sitting room. Sam's wife—a voluptuous-looking woman—was lounging lazily at the entrance, preparing to enjoy the morning sunlight.

Even in July, the mountain city of Domon still held little heat, and the mornings remained somewhat chilly.

Dole quietly crouched his way across the courtyard, then turned into the nearby kitchen. He examined its layout without acting rashly, then headed for the storeroom behind it.

Beside the storeroom was a corner of the wall. Something lay beneath a tarpaulin there, covered in a thick layer of dust, as though it was rarely disturbed.

He quietly approached, lifted the tarpaulin, and crawled inside. He needed to wait there until nightfall.

Hardly anyone ever came near the tarpaulin; even passing footsteps were rare. This had all been scouted out beforehand. He remained there for the entire day.

Night soon fell, and Aoduo returned with Sam.

Following the timing they had set beforehand, Dole had already slipped behind the kitchen and was secretly watching this way. The two slaves had prepared the meal. There were seven or eight dishes in all, lavishly laid out, and they had to carry them one by one from the kitchen into the sitting room. That would take some time.

The two slaves quickly carried out the dishes and left the kitchen. Seizing the moment when both of them were gone, Dole, who had watched for so long, quietly slipped in from behind the kitchen. He took out two small bottles, removed their stoppers, and poured every drop of the transparent liquid inside into several dishes.