Taking Them In as Dogs
The Arnor Kingdom, Leyndell.
A furtive-looking man stopped a passerby in a dark alley and chuckled, "Brother, want to see some good stuff?"
Before the passerby could answer, the man suddenly ripped open his coat!
"What a pervert!" The passerby quickly covered his eyes, but the man said helplessly, "What pervert? Look carefully, I'm selling Image Stone."
A "Image Stone" is a magical stone that has been specially treated to record and reproduce images, and it is an indispensable part of people's daily leisure activities.
"The best stuff in Bede City is selling like hotcakes lately, I only managed to get this little bit with great difficulty,"
The man said in a highly seductive tone, "Anything made by the Shadow Brotherhood guaranteed to be top-notch!"
The passerby suddenly realized and became excited. "Is this footage of Sion going berserk?"
The man smiled and nodded.
"This is a banned film in the kingdom. If you miss me, you'll never have another chance in your life."
"I want it! I absolutely have to see this!"
News of the rampage in the Zane Dungeon spread throughout the entire continent within half a month, not only because the rampage resulted in the death of an Earl, but also because of a video—
The majestic Dragonslayer Armour and the Storm Dragon walked on the land. Dark clouds, gales, and lightning struck, creating a grand scene that resembled a god descending to earth. Lightning struck down those who blasphemed the dungeon, while the innocent people following behind them remained unharmed.
The video begins with the Dragonslayer Armour entering the city and ends with endless lightning strikes engulfing the Bede Family mansion.
They sold out!
Such a rare sight! People must see it!
The Storm Dragon and the Dragonslayer Armour have sparked a heated discussion in the Arnor Kingdom, with everyone wanting to know who they are, what their past is like, and what story the Zane Dungeon holds about them.
More people are filled with awe for the dungeons. Their long period of peace has made them forget that the dungeons can also go berserk if they get angry.
A sense of unease was brewing in the crowd, but then someone suddenly stood up and said:
"The Zane Dungeon doesn't kill innocent people. Don't believe me? Watch the video!"
The speaker detailed the actions of Count Philip and the Light Eagle Legion, and used historical evidence to argue that it was their offensive behavior that caused the dungeon to go berserk, because there were indeed people in history who did the exact same thing as Count Philip and suffered the same result!
The dungeon only killed members of that faction; innocent civilians, adventurers, and others remained unharmed.
This claim spread rapidly, almost as if it were orchestrated. Overnight, the panic that people had just felt about the underground city was instantly reversed.
Because the dead were annoying nobles and Bloodlust mercenaries, the Zane Dungeon even gained some goodwill from the lower classes.
Some bards seized the business opportunity and made a fortune with a song called "Sain, Eliminating Harm for the People". They also composed the previous sung song by Count Philip.
Unfortunately, just a few days after the video was sold, the King issued a decree banning its sale throughout the country.
After all, it was a nobleman who died, which was a provocation to the ruler's authority.
People assumed the King would take some measures to control the Zane Dungeon, but he did nothing except ban the sale of videos, which was King.
He entrusted the handling of Saine entirely to the newly appointed Earl of Bede, Philip's eldest son, Ka Rong.
What will the latter do when faced with the dungeon that killed his father, Thane?
Bede City, outskirts.
Ka Rong, dressed in a magnificent new outfit, stood before Count Philip's tomb, head bowed and silent.
As the newly appointed Earl, he dismissed his guards and stayed here alone.
The guards stood at a distance, watching him and whispering among themselves, "Lord Philip has passed away. The Earl must be very sad."
They saw Ka Rong kneeling on one knee before Philip's grave, a gesture that further confirmed the guards' suspicions.
He stroked the tombstone and said:
"Father, it's good you died!"
Ka Rong smiled with satisfaction.
"It's a pity he died so young, leaving me with a huge mess,"
"To resolve the mess you left behind, we gave up most of the family's assets, including our most profitable businesses. I was reluctant to give them up, but if we didn't, soldiers from other cities would come knocking on our door."
"The family has to pay for the repairs to the city, the Light Eagle Legion is still pressuring me to pay compensation, and the King is also putting pressure on me. The people of Bede City have a very poor reputation for the family."
He talked on and on for a long time, as if he wanted to tell everyone his troubles.
"But I am better than you, Father," Ka Rong stood up, looking down at the tombstone. "I will definitely do better."
"Not only to prove it to you, but also to prove it to those bastards who abandoned me."
His fists clenched so tightly they cracked, but his expression remained unchanged.
It was once said that Ka Rong was abandoned by the Gold-ranked adventure team because his strength couldn't keep up.
This had become almost an obsession for him, and his father favored Sally, seemingly intending to pass the family business to that illegitimate son.
Ka Rong was very upset. He wanted to prove to everyone that he was no less capable, and in doing so, he went astray and allied himself with people he should never have associated with.
During his time away from Bede City, he lied and claimed to be doing business elsewhere, but in reality, he was working for those "people." After Sain went berserk and Count Philip died, he rushed back—with a team of mercenaries of unknown origin but with formidable strength.
Upon his return, he demonstrated his decisive and efficient approach, quickly resolving the mess left by Philip and planning to rebuild the nearly bankrupt Bede Family in the future.
Incidentally, Sally and his Brave companions were driven away. Saying they were driven away might not be entirely accurate, but in any case, they did leave Bede City and their whereabouts are unknown.
And then there's Vierde, who redeemed himself from all the infamy by sacrificing himself to save his father—though Philip deserves to die—and is now living happily with Pikachu.
Many people were amazed by his ability to tame monsters and came to inquire about it. He had so many visitors every day that he was afraid to go out.
"Sion... its strength is greater than that of my current allies."
Ka Rong suddenly looked at a large tree in the distance, where a bat was hanging upside down from the treetop. In broad daylight, the bat was not resting, but staring at him without moving.
"I need to think this over carefully, to decide which side I can trust, or even follow."
He patted the dirt off his knees, turned around, and left without looking back.
The guards quickly followed, protecting Ka Rong closely.
The Bede Family's reputation is somewhat tarnished now. Although the monsters entering the city did not cause any civilian deaths, many people's homes were destroyed.
Everyone vented their anger on the Bede Family. It was all Count Philip's fault for provoking the dungeon. If Ka Rong went out alone, he might get rotten eggs thrown at him.
He made this decision regarding the Zane Dungeon, with whom he could be said to have a blood feud—
The Count Philip's order was rescinded; everything proceeded as usual.
Furthermore, the Bede Family will cover a portion of the costs for people's Teleportation Crystal and resurrection, actively supporting adventurers in exploring dungeons. Of course, all of this is on the condition that adventurers report any new discoveries to the Bede Family, and that they do not have to sell the items they obtain.
This could be considered a gesture of goodwill towards the Zane Dungeon?
The dungeon's master saw all of this, but didn't have time to deal with it for the time being.
At this moment, Gong Qiying was staring blankly at the world map in front of him.
The map is still colorful, but its green has increased significantly, even covering the entire continent.
Although he can only use "points" instead of "areas" as units, this shows that his influence has increased.
The area around Bede City has been completely dyed in his color, and it is a pleasing sight of greenery no matter how you look at it.
Letters would occasionally appear on the Shrine. One Gray Letter read the following:
"Well done! Love comes from the Boulder Dungeon!"
The Deep Blue Letter was filled with tender concern and subtly requested a meeting; it must have been written by a gentle young woman.
Gong Qiying ignored all of these, as letters began arriving here every day after his rampage.
But only the dark blue letter is what he needs most right now.
That was a letter from the Astar Alliance.
"Thank you for joining us. The Alliance is more glorious because of you, for the sake of pure blood!"
"The Alliance has gathered some intelligence for you regarding the Calamity Nest Dungeon, which is ruled by hybrid demons. I imagine you'll find it useful."