Chapter 104

Chapter 104: Betrayal

Bard jumped off the freight wagon wearing his old leather coat; it was already evening.

During the day, he had delivered goods with several workers and missed the time for receiving payment. It wasn’t until now that he returned to the brewery.

The head of the brewery gave him his share of the money, briefly explaining why it was less than before, then had the wagon pulled inside and prepared to close up shop.

Bard felt uneasy. Why did the Nisos family always go back on their word? But at this hour, there were few people left in the brewery, and he didn’t know who to complain to.

“Have you seen Grete?” he asked one of the workers he knew well.

“No, I haven’t seen him since they distributed the pay this afternoon,” the worker recalled and said casually, then shook off the dust from his clothes, ready to go home.

Bard asked two more people, but they didn’t know either, as he wasn’t very familiar with them. He had no choice but to give up.

He guessed that Grete would be quite angry given his personality.

Forget it, it’s getting late. He’ll talk about it tomorrow. With this thought, he decided to return home to rest, as he was exhausted from the day’s work.

“How disgusting, I never imagined those guys would side with the Nisos family.”

The worker walking alongside Bard began recounting what happened today as they walked.

Bard also suspected that those people had been bribed by the Nisos family, but without concrete evidence, they could do nothing but continue working at the brewery to earn a living.

Unable to figure anything out, Bard continued walking down the dimly lit streets. This area, near Hope Lane’s workshops and warehouses, saw little foot traffic. There were few lights along the road, only the distant sounds of lively music could be heard.

For some reason, he slowed down more and more until he finally stopped.

He was a bit worried about Grete, knowing his friend’s personality—he couldn’t stand injustice and was rather idealistic.

Might as well check, it’s not far anyway.

He turned towards another intersection.

The narrow alley was dark and had some puddles, but fortunately, the ground was paved with stone slabs, so he wouldn’t step into mud.

These rough stone slabs effectively prevented mud from accumulating because the guilds cared about the city’s appearance and didn’t want mud all over the streets. That would not only be dirty but also difficult to clean.

Bard quietly walked through the alley, which he knew well, encountering no obstacles.

He should be reaching Grete’s place soon; it wasn’t far from the brewery.

A faint light filtered through the dark entrance of the alley, and voices of a few people could be heard outside.

“You weren’t afraid to dig before, why are you quiet now?”

A familiar and detested coarse voice reached Bard’s ears, followed by a dull thumping sound and a hoarse cry.

He cautiously approached the corner of the alleyway and peered out from the shadows.

Under the dim lights, the small house where Gretta lived had its door wide open. Seven or eight people were gathered in the empty space outside, the atmosphere was eerily quiet.

One person was kneeling on the ground; his hair was pulled up, and his body was covered in blood and dirt. If not for the familiar clothes, Bard might not have recognized it was Gretta.

Gretta no longer resembled the handsome figure he once was. His face was smeared with blood, snot, mud, and spit. Even his feet were twisted unnaturally. If not for the faint rise and fall of his chest, no one would think he was still alive.

“You were so proud when you asked that ugly fellow for money before, didn’t expect you’d be in this situation today,” said one of the burly men standing there. Leading them was Manda, the thug who had robbed Bard earlier.

Some of them held wooden sticks, while others carried broken bottles with bloodstains on them.

Just as Bard was about to rush out, one of the middle-aged men spoke up.

“I say, Gretta, you just don’t know your limits. You caused trouble once, and now you want to do it again.”

“Don’t even look at yourself! Now, Sir Farnleton is furious. You won’t be coming back to the distillery anymore. Didn’t you always complain about the Nisos family? Well, now your wish has come true.”

Gretta, whose face was a mess of blood and flesh, tried to speak, but his throat was full of blood, and he couldn’t utter a word.

This middle-aged man under the light was one of the leaders during the strike with Gretta. The few beside him were also part of that group.

Seeing this shocking scene, Bard realized that Gretta had been betrayed. His heart sank, and he wanted to scream but could not make a sound.

Yes, he was afraid. Everyone around Gretta had betrayed him. How could he fight against those burly men alone?

Fear spread through his mind, and scenes of past bullying and beatings resurfaced in his heart. The mocking and taunting voices from his memories seemed to echo in his ears. His legs trembled, and his body slowly slid down the wall.

What should I do! What should I do! What should I do! What should I do! What should I do! What should I do! What should I do! What should I do!

He tightly clenched the soil between the stone slabs, his heart filled with anxiety and his mind in chaos.

“If you ever feel too overwhelmed, imagine yourself as a stone devoid of emotions. It might help a bit.”

For some reason, this sentence suddenly came to mind.

Bard, due to his unattractive appearance, had endured much disdain. Few people had shown him any particular kindness throughout his life.

The only two people who left a deep impression on him were Gretta, his good friend, and the young lady who had helped him in the restaurant.

He was very grateful for the young lady’s help, but he wasn’t good at expressing himself and seemed to have driven her away, leaving behind only those words.

His limited knowledge left him with few options. He tried to imagine himself

It was as cold and lifeless as a stone, devoid of emotion, fear, shame, or dread.

Gradually, gradually, his mind finally quieted down.

How could he save Gret?

Fight? He couldn’t win. Seek help? It would take time to find someone, and even then, there was no guarantee others would dare to step forward.

His thoughts seemed stuck. No, he needed to think from another angle.

As long as he separated Gret from them, that would be enough.

He turned back and retreated into the alley, running carefully without making a sound. After a distance, he started running at full speed.

The wind howled by his ears at night, his chest heaving heavily. He gasped for air, heading towards the familiar direction.

After turning through two streets, he rushed back to the distillery, kicking open the closed door with a loud bang, the old iron lock shattering instantly, tearing off a piece of the wooden frame.

Ignoring the astonished and speechless watchman, he charged forward, grabbing the lantern on the table, then searching around.

A lamp oil pot appeared in his sight in the last corner.

Holding the oil pot tightly, he prepared to rush into the workshop, where there were many empty wine barrels and wooden structures.

“What are you doing, Bard!” The watchman tried to stop him.

“Get out of my way! Or I’ll kill you!” Bard snarled, his face twisted in anger, shocking the watchman with his ferocity.

Once inside, he poured the oil over the wine barrels and debris, then lit the lantern, using the candle flame to ignite it.

Boom—

The fire began to spread. Unhappy with its pace, he grabbed a filtering cloth nearby and threw it onto the flames, pulling the burning cloth to rapidly spread the fire throughout the workshop.

The raging flames soared high, and with the dry autumn season, the fire spread rapidly.

As the scorching heat and suffocating waves came, the watchman dared not approach, only shouting loudly, alarming other people in the vicinity.

Bard watched as the flames rose dozens of feet into the sky, illuminating the night sky, before finally letting go of the burning cloth and turning to run away.

Thick smoke rose with the flames, the acrid smell spreading through the air. Startled by the shouts, people began to look over, realizing that if this fire took hold, not only would the distillery be affected, but several nearby workshops might also suffer.

Most of this area belonged to the Nisos family. They immediately sent people to wake up employees living nearby, while a few rode horses to report to their master and seek assistance.

While Bard was running back, those torturing Gret also saw the flames in the distance, followed by the sounds of rescue efforts, creating a chaotic scene.

Seeing more figures appearing in the alley, Manda and his group dared not continue beating Gret openly.

“What do we do, boss? This isn’t good,” one of the henchmen asked, as more people gathered around.

“Drag him into the house.”

Thank you to 45gfjh, Feiyuezhi Xue, Qidian Zhongwen Wang, and the four for your support.

(End of Chapter)