In the evening, after finishing his blacksmithing work, Wieland heated up some food and went to call his grandson to come out for dinner.
Thump thump thump!!
Wieland walked to the door and gently knocked.
" Kamera, are you inside? Come out and eat!!"
Thump thump thump!!
" Kamera..."
"Huh?! What's going on? He should usually be in his room at this time, why hasn't he responded to me yet?!" Wieland asked, puzzled.
" Kamera, Grandpa's going in!!" Without much thought, Wieland pushed the door open and entered.
"Huh?! Kamera, are you here?" Wieland looked around but couldn't find his grandson, so he asked in surprise.
At this point, Wieland hadn't considered the possibility that his grandson had been kidnapped. He went out and searched the entire hilltop, but only began to get nervous when he couldn't find any trace of Kamera.
"Damn it, where did Kamera go?! He wouldn't joke like that with his grandfather, could he have met with some misfortune?!" Wieland's expression gradually turned ferocious as he continued to look around, clinging to the last glimmer of hope that perhaps he hadn't gone far.
After searching for what seemed like an eternity, the once gloomy sky gradually cleared, and the sun slowly rose. Wieland had searched the mountaintop for almost a whole night but still couldn't find his grandson, Kamera. At this moment, his eyes were bloodshot, his hair was disheveled, and he exuded a strong aura of ferocity.
"Damn it, Kamera couldn't have really been kidnapped, could she? Who could do this?! Was it the group from earlier in the day, or those two who came asking for the sword?!"
Recalling his experiences during the day, Wieland placed suspicion on the first person in black and Luo Chen, and said in a sullen tone.
clatter...
A while later, Luo Chen and Catherine, who had originally agreed to come back the next day, once again set foot here and arrived at the sword-making workshop in Wieland.
"Master Wieland, are you there?! We've come to have your swords forged as promised!!" Luo Chen called out to Catherine outside the sword-making workshop.
Click~
Just then, not long after their shouts, the door of the shop was suddenly pushed open, Wieland stormed out, his face contorted with rage, demanding of Luo Chen and his companion, "Damn you! You kidnapped Kamera to force me to forge swords for you, didn't you? Give Kamera back right now, or I won't let you off the hook!!"
Wieland gripped Luo Chen's shoulders tightly, shook him violently, pointed the arrow at them, and pressed him for answers.
"Hey, what Kamera? Master Wieland, calm down. We don't even know anyone named Kamera!" Luo Chen was being shaken violently by him, but he wasn't angry, nor did he try to break free. He just advised him to calm down and let go.
"Hmph, don't think I don't know your little schemes. You were rejected by me yesterday, so you're trying to use my grandson Kamera to force me to submit. Am I right?!" Wieland realized his lapse in composure, released his grip, and said in a very cold tone.
"Hey, Master Wieland, don't just label people like that. Even though you have a very bad impression of us, I wouldn't stoop to doing something like this."
"Besides, even if I use this to force you, you still won't seriously repair the Rain Burial. I won't do something so thankless!" From his words, the two roughly understood what had happened. It turned out that shortly after they left, Wieland's grandson Kamera, was kidnapped and there was still no news of him. So, as soon as they arrived, they suspected the two of them, which made them feel somewhat depressed.
"Hmph, who knows if you would actually do that? It's hard to believe that an incompetent swordsman who even used Rain Burial as a tool and had his sword broken would do something like this." Wieland gradually calmed down and understood some things from Luo Chen's words. He knew that the two of them were unlikely to be the culprits, but he didn't let them off the hook. He replied irritably.
"Hey, Master Wieland, while I may not be the best swordsman, I'm top-notch in other areas. Don't make baseless accusations against me!" Upon hearing this, Luo Chen became unhappy and retorted directly.
"Hmph, even if you didn't do it, you're still implicated..." Wieland sneered.
"Uh... well... perhaps. I think it's like this: Master Wieland, since your grandson has been kidnapped and you're too old to rescue him, why not leave this matter to us? But..." Luo Chen, speechless after being silenced by Wieland's words, sighed and then directly began to explain.
"I'll help you repair the Rain Burial, right? Fine, I agree to that!" Wieland knew what Luo Chen meant and agreed without hesitation.
"Alright, Master Wieland, please lead us to your grandson's room and search carefully. I believe those people wouldn't have kidnapped Kamera for no reason!" Having received the other party's agreement, Luo Chen was very pleased and immediately began to act.
"Let's go!" Wieland gave him a deep look before leading the two to Kamera's room.
"That's my grandson's room. Feel free to go in and take a look if you want!"
"Um, please forgive my rudeness!"
Luo Chen nodded to him and then went inside with Catherine, while Wieland leaned against the threshold, coldly watching the two of them.
After a while, the two searched the room carefully and finally found a letter under Kamera's pillow. Upon seeing this, Wieland quickly came over and snatched the letter from their hands.
"You..." Although Catherine hadn't uttered a sound since she appeared, it didn't mean she was indifferent to Wieland's behavior. Seeing him snatch the letters from their hands, she couldn't help but glare at him angrily. Just as she was about to utter a curse, Luo Chen stopped her.
Luo Chen reached out and shook his head, signaling her not to act impulsively. Since her captain hadn't done anything, Catherine didn't want to interfere further.
"Damn it... So it really is because of you? The members of the Luo Chen Pirates mentioned in the letter are you, aren't they? My grandson Kamera's kidnapping is definitely related to you!!" After reading the letter, Wieland angrily threw it over, glaring at the two of them, and said hatefully.
"We've tolerated you for so long because of your age! This whole thing has nothing to do with us. No matter how you try to pin the blame on us, we won't admit it!" Catherine couldn't hold back any longer and loudly retorted to him.
"Heh, it has nothing to do with you? Then what is this?! Do you dare say you have absolutely no connection with the Luo Chen Pirates mentioned in the letter? Are you still trying to hide it now?! If it weren't for your arrival, my grandson wouldn't have been kidnapped by those people!!" Old Man Wieland wasn't afraid of Catherine, glaring at her with his beard as he confronted her.
"You..."
"Alright, Catherine, calm down. Master Wieland, I admit I'm partly to blame, but the responsibility isn't entirely ours, is it? Weakness is the greatest sin, and that principle applies everywhere. If Wieland hadn't been so weak as to not protect Kamera, she wouldn't have been kidnapped. Am I right?!" Luo Chen knew that their relationship would deteriorate further after this incident, so he had no choice but to treat it as a deal, no longer refusing to argue as before.
Hearing Luo Chen's words, Wieland stood there for a long time before letting out a long sigh and saying with a disappointed expression, "Phew... You're right. If I hadn't been too weak to protect him, Kamera wouldn't have been kidnapped. Let's consider this a complete deal: you bring Kamera back to me, and I'll repair her for you, how about that?!"
"Okay, we agree!!" Luo Chen nodded and readily agreed to the proposal, then led Catherine toward Ailas Castle, the other place mentioned in the letter.
Meanwhile, in a dark and secluded underground cell in Ailas Castle, Wieland's grandson, Kamera, was imprisoned alone. He was curled up in a corner and did not get up.
"Hey, Lester, are you sure your abilities can hold those people back!? You know they're notorious pirates with a total bounty of over two billion. If you fail..." Outside, the two stood quietly watching Kamera inside. After a while, one of them asked the man in the black robe Lester Luster.
"Don't worry, once they break in, the Shadow Space will close, and even Admiral Four Emperors and Admirals won't be able to escape!" Lester replied in a hoarse voice.
"Alright, we'll just wait here for them to walk right into our trap." Hearing this, the man finally felt relieved, then asked, "By the way, have we sent someone to notify our superiors?"
"This should be your business, but you need to do it soon, my Shadow Space can't hold them for long!" Lester chuckled and replied.
"Okay, I'll go report this to headquarters right away. After all, we're government personnel. If they receive this news, they should at least send Vice Admiral general!"
"Heh, I'm afraid even Vice Admiral won't be able to control them. It's better to have them send a general-level officer; that would be more reliable!"
"Hmm... okay, let's do it this way. You should get ready!" The man thought for a moment and agreed with his suggestion, then went over to prepare to report to his superiors.
After he left, only he and Kamera, who was trembling in her cell, remained in the basement. The candlelight flickered, Lester's chilling laughter filled the cell, making Kamera even more frightened.
"Grandpa, come and save me! Kamera is so scared!!" Kamera sobbed in the corner.
Outside Ailas Castle, Catherine and Catherine finally arrived. Looking at the neat and imposing castle, Catherine said softly, "We're here. This must be Ailas Castle the townspeople were talking about. Kamera should be imprisoned here!"
"..." Luo Chen, who was next to her, stared at the castle in front of him with his brows furrowed and did not say anything.
"Huh?! What's wrong, Luo Chen? Is there something strange inside?!" Seeing his expression, Catherine couldn't help but ask him.
"That's strange! My Observation Haki is completely ineffective inside; I can't sense any presence at all!!"
"What?! Observation Haki can't work? No way, let me see..." Upon hearing this, Catherine was moved and hurriedly activated her Observation Haki to scan the castle. However, like him, she couldn't detect any trace of it.
"What... what's going on?!" Catherine asked, puzzled by the situation.
"Let's talk inside!"
Luo Chen didn't answer her. He didn't even know what was going on inside, so how could he answer her question?! He had no choice but to go in and investigate the truth himself.
Seeing this, Catherine had no choice but to go inside with him to find out what was going on.
Ta-da-ta-da...
"Um?!"
The moment the two stepped inside, the atmosphere of the entire castle brightened again, their Observation Haki returned, and they clearly sensed a tiny, faint presence, as well as a flickering, unpredictable entity nearby.
" Luo Chen, you noticed it, didn't you?!" Even Catherine noticed the strangeness after she came in. Her previously malfunctioning Observation Haki suddenly returned to function, and she sensed the presence of Kamera and Lester in the basement, just like him.
"Hmm, I'm afraid this matter isn't so simple, but that's not what we should be thinking about now. Let's rescue Kamera first!" Luo Chen's Observation Haki was several times better than Catherine's, so he naturally understood the situation better than her. However, he didn't delve into the matter further and decided to rescue the hostage first.
"Okay!!" Catherine knew that thinking any further was useless at this point. Rescuing Kamera was their top priority, no matter what, even if it meant getting themselves into trouble.
Ta-da-ta-da...
Using their Observation Haki, the two headed straight for the basement.
"Hehehehe, now let's see how you die!!" Little did they know that their every move was being watched by the culprit Casqiao in the monitoring room. As the two walked into the trap he had set for them, Casqiao became even more excited and laughed lewdly.
clatter...
Outside the basement door, Catherine and Luo Chen arrived. The moment they appeared, they were spotted by Lester inside, who burst into laughter, exclaiming, "Well, you're finally here!!"
Click~
No one touched it, yet the door opened automatically, revealing Lester inside.
"Hehehehe, welcome to the two of you, welcome to my Shadow Space!!" Before Luo Chen and the other could even question him, Lester spoke first, introducing himself.
"You're the one who kidnapped Kamera, Wieland's grandson, aren't you? Tell me, is Kamera here now?!" Luo Chen questioned him, seeing that he was wearing a black cloak and his face was not visible.
"Hehehehe, that's right, the hostage you're looking to rescue is right there. You can go and check!" Lester chuckled, pointing to the thin, short figure by the cell door beside him.
" Catherine, go and bring him back. I'll deal with him!" Luo Chen didn't act immediately, but instead sent Catherine to rescue the man.
Catherine nodded and walked over. Instead of stopping her, Lester stepped aside to make way for her to rescue Kamera. The two were very puzzled, but they didn't think much of it and went over anyway.
" Kamera!!" Catherine came to the door and gently called to the figure huddled inside.
Hearing her call, Kamera trembled slightly, confirming that the person inside was indeed Kamera. She then drew the Sword in the Stone and made a gentle cut.
Clang!!
With a flash of sword light, the iron prison door was easily sliced open as if it were tofu.
clatter!!
" Kamera, we were sent by your grandfather to rescue you, come with us!!" Catherine stepped inside, and seeing that the other party didn't seem to have any other reaction, she began to explain.
"Grandpa?!" Hearing that it was her grandfather who had sent someone to rescue her, Kamera turned around and stood up timidly.
"Are you really the ones Grandpa sent to rescue me?" Kamera didn't leave with them immediately, but instead confirmed their identities again.
"Yes, we accept Master Wieland's request to take you back. Come with us!" Catherine saw that the tear tracks on his face were still wet, clearly indicating that he had cried a lot and that this matter had greatly hurt him. Her tone became even gentler as she leaned down and spoke to him.
"Okay, I'll go with you, big sister!!" Seeing the purity in Catherine's eyes, Kamera decided to go with them and approached Catherine.
After she picked up Kamera, Luo Chen and the others prepared to leave.
"Heh heh heh, so you're leaving already? Although I agreed to let you take him away, I didn't let you leave here. You'd better stay here!" At this moment, Lester's cold voice rang in the ears of the three of them. Then the whole room suddenly changed, the candles went out one by one, and shadows covered the entire basement.