âDid you hear?â
âHear what?â
In a shadowy alley of Alfalfa City, several young men in worn shirts huddled together, eagerly sharing the latest news from the city.
âThe caravan that arrived in the city last night, hehe, indeed was robbed!â
âDo we even need to state the obvious! I just canât fathom how some caravans dare to come to Alfalfa City? Do they underestimate this city of chaos?â
âDo you know who pulled the job?â
âIt must be Orlandoâs men, arenât most of the thieves in this city working for him?â
âWhat did they steal?â
âNo clue, but, theyâre only petty thieves, how much could they possibly take. If you ask me, we should go for a big score, and rob the whole caravan together!â
âAgreed!â
âAgreed!â
âI agree too!â
âYour agreement is bloody useless unless boss Capen agrees.â A short, chubby young man with impeccably combed hair retorted disdainfully.
At this, the crowd fell into a somber silence.
Recently, as the head of the Alfalfa Brotherhood, Capen has started to put restrictions on his subordinates, following his consolidation of power in Alfalfa City. He wonât let them wreak havoc and commit atrocities like before.
According to Capenâs theoryââWeâre about to become the masters of this city, what kind of master recklessly abuses his own home?â
From this statement, one can see Capenâs ambition.
But this is not surprising, every underworld power, when developed to a certain stage, would think about going legit.
However, such restraints have led to some resistance within the Alfalfa Brotherhood.
If it werenât for Capenâs formidable power and high prestige in Alfalfa City, the members of the Alfalfa Brotherhood would likely start infighting.
Seeing everyone fall silent, the same person asked in a joking tone: âDo you guys know? The manager of the caravan even went to the City Lordâs Mansion to report it. I almost laughed my ass off, hahahaâ¦â
âReported it?â
The others also burst out laughing as if they had heard a great joke.
âGoing to that wuss of a City Lord is less useful than coming to our boss Capen.â
âHehe, Boss Capen wouldnât bother himself with such trivial mattersâ¦â
No sooner had he finished his sentence than a man rushed in, panting, and asked: âHas any of you seen Harry?â
âHarry? Havenât seen him, whatâs up?â
âThat guy stole stuff from the caravan, Boss Capen is looking for him.â
Hearing this, the others looked at each other in disbelief.
They were just saying that Capen wouldnât bother with such a small matter, only to be smacked in the face by reality.
It wasnât until the questioner hastily ran off that they snapped out of their shock and confusion.
âWhy do you think⦠the boss would interfere in such a thing?â
âProbably because Harry stole quite a lot of valuable stuffâ¦â
This seemed to be the only possible answer.
Realizing this, their breathing noticeably grew heavier, their eyes flashing with unmistakable greed as they looked at each other.
âSince the boss is looking for Harry, how can we not help?â
âRight, right, letâs go find him together!â
â¦
Alfalfa City was not a city filled with warmth; indifference was the norm here.
But today, the entire city was stirred into a heated frenzy, as almost everyone knew that the caravan that arrived last night had been robbed. Moreover, Capen, the boss, was looking for the thief.
Although Capen didnât explain why he was seeking the thief, that didnât stop everyone from âwiselyâ assuming that the thief must have stolen a great fortune!
Otherwise, why would he catch the attention of boss Capen?
Similarly, it also caught the attention of everyone in the city.
In this depraved city full of scum and villains, no one disliked wealth, even if they knew they should not lay a finger on it. Still, if it simply appeared in front of them,reachable, probably very few could resist such a temptation.
For a moment, Alfalfa City was in turmoil.
â¦
In a dimly lit room, a dark-skinned middle-aged man sat with a stern face.
He wasnât tall, just a little over one metre sixty, appearing even shorter after he sat down. However, the atmosphere in the room was dominated by him.
Capen â a fifth-tier warrior, the president of the Alfalfa Brotherhood, was said to be supported by a high-ranking figure from the eastern territory.
Presently, Alfalfa City was under his control.
Standing to the right of Capen was a stern-faced, slender, half-elf named Orlando.
This half-elf was also well-known in Alfalfa City; nearly all the thieves in the city worked under him.
Yet, the current mood of this thief leader was anything but pleasant.
âSo these are all that you have stolen?â Capen coldly stared at a young thief kneeling in front of him and questioned.
âYes, sir. Besides the gold coins, used in drinking wine last night, the rest are all here.â
The young thief was pale and trembling uncontrollably, his teeth chattering due to his shivering, making cracking sounds.
But Capen clearly didnât believe the thief, sneering: âIâll give you one more chance, besides the gold coins, what else have you taken? As long as you hand it over to me, I can guarantee your safety in Alfalfa City, otherwise, wellâ¦â
Sweat like large beans sprung out from the young thiefâs forehead. Hearing Capenâs warning, he immediately raised his left hand in a strange swearing gesture, saying:
âSir! I can swear to the Lord of Glory, all the things I stole last night are here, apart from the gold coins, I took nothing!â
Capen chuckled, about to say something, when Orlando finally couldnât bare it any longer and spoke up: âBoss Capen, if you wish to punish my people, you should at least give a legitimate reason. What exactly did he steal that he was not supposed to, to even raise your attention?â
Capen glanced at Orlando, aware his actions had agitated the leader of the thieves.
Although Orlandoâs faction was also under the Alfalfa Brotherhood and Capen indeed had the right to interrogate the thief in front of him, as Orlando had pointed out, if Capen was making a big fuss simply because the thief had stolen some gold coins from a passing caravan, it absolutely challenged Orlandoâs authority.
Capen was the nominal president of the Alfalfa Brotherhood, but this organization was formed by various underground forces in Alfalfa City and had numerous factions. Capen had to consider the desires of these minor bosses as well.
So, he hesitated for a moment before saying to Orlando, âAre you aware of the bonds recently issued by the St. Hilde family?â
âBonds? Iâve heard some bits and pieces about them. I heard theyâve stirred up quite a commotion in the North Territory.â Orlando nodded, subsequently realizing what was up. His face instantly changed, asking, âCould it be⦠Apart from the gold coins, the caravan lost some of these bonds?â
âThatâs right,â Capen solemnly replied, âand itâs not a small amount.â
âHow much?â Orlando asked hoarsely.
âLetâs put it this way, those bonds are worth more than the entirety of Alfalfa City!â
Orlando gaped, shock written all over his face: âYou⦠You must be joking⦠â
âDo I look like I am joking?â Capen sneered, revealing, âThose bonds are something a certain big shot from the eastern territory wants, hehe, Orlando, are you sure you can bear the consequences?â
Orlandoâs face instantly turned deathly pale.
The young thief kneeling in front of them was nearly knocked over by this news. The immense terror led to uncontrollable trembling all over his body as he screamed out:
âBoss Capen, Boss Orlando, you have to believe me! I truly havenât stolen any bonds, I donât even know what the damn bond isâ¦â
Capen grunted dismissively and urged, âOrlando, what are you waiting for?â
Orlandoâs face shifted for a moment, and finally, he sighed deeply and said coldly:
âBegin the torture.â