Carl scanned the crowd, sending shivers down the spines of players and NPCs alike.

There were thousands of them, just an indistinguishable sea of bodies, some standing, some walking, some rushing. The pocket locator wouldn't work, because it only detected officially branded markers, which the perpetrator surely didn't have, but if his previous hunch was correct …

There!

In the distance, hidden in shade below a shop awning, he found a trace of the familiar, repulsive aura.

“Couldn't resist the urge to witness the fires you set, could you?”

The horrified individual took off with all his might, but there was no room for regret – Carl punched through the mob and jumped the cloaked man like an apex predator. The bruised and black-eyed face was one he knew all too well.

“Hello, Bub.”

“I didn't do anything! I swear!”

Carl berated himself internally. How dumb it was of him to think the NPC would change under his influence! It was just a program, devoid of consciousness and with a simplified, rigid nature. If it wasn't in the code, it would never turn its life around.

He plucked off the rattling money pouch to see what was inside.

“Hey! Thief!”

“10 Gold Crowns? You killed your comrade for a fistful of dirt?”

“I didn't kill anyone!”

“Is that so?” Carl impeached, delivering a Jarring Fist to Bub's stomach and dragging him to the guards.

“Lord Lionheart! What are you doing to this man?!” one of them shouted with dread, while they all run towards.

“That's the murderer.” Carl shoved the stocky brute powerfully, throwing him on the cobblestone.

“Ugh! Lies! He's mistaken!”

“Oh? Decide, am I mistaken, or am I lying? Here, this is the payment he was commissioned for. It was a hit.”

“That's not my gold! He planted it on me!”

“Do you want to ask him any questions, or can I kill him now?” Carl demanded coldly.

“Lord Lionheart!” The guard captain jumped up with fright. “Please … there's children here!”

“Really?” Carl looked around, finding that all the younglings were either expelled from the scene or pulled away by their parents.

“They may be watching from the windows …”

“Will you kill him, then?”

“Lord Lionheart, we have to stick to protocol … we will interrogate him, as well as the witnesses, and if we find him guilty, he will be executed,” the officer assured. “We also need to investigate those behind him.”

“I'm innocent!” the harrowed Bub screamed. “You have the wrong man!”

“I'll deal with them,” Carl declared. “I know who they are.”

He walked up to the now abandoned victim, frowned and sighed deeply. He was going to miss that silly, exuberant, lisping character …

“Oh, you're not going to cry, are you?” someone taunted theatrically.

Carl was aware of his presence, as he already saw the idiotically smug face among the gawkers. He peered at the pretentious dandy, emanating his usual dignity. This was a human, the other one was not.

“He was a loyal dog. He didn't bark … didn't bite … and didn't do any damage … but he was friendly to everyone. Yet you ridicule me for feeling sadness over his loss?” he lectured profoundly, then turned around … and left.

“Haha! You all heard him!” Blood Oath hollered with glee. “The great Lord Lionheart considers all natives to be dogs! Who would have thought! Hear me! Hear me, all of you! Gather up and listen to this!”

…

While Carl was on his way, Amaranthine Bushido sent another message.

“Brother Lionheart, they set up a livestream! Those wretches recorded everything and are now openly mocking you!”

“No matter. It's only a testament to their perfidy.”

“But they're using this opportunity to peddle outrageous lies! Don't you know them?”

“Let them. They won't hide from the Truth. Calm down, Bushido, this is my fight. You guys go on. I'll transfer the funds in a minute, so purchase whatever we need.”

“Brother Lionheart … we don't have another expert tracker, and Liss will take a few days … what are we supposed to do?”

“Train. Temper yourselves in preparation for full realism. Have fun. Isn't this just a tutorial?

“Huh? I don't … understand?”

“Dole out mana potions to all those with a mental buff. Assign your best archer to Mercy and Ingolf so she can master Confuse, and give Fleeting Time the money for learning it, so he can run a second team with Oak. Hmm, maybe Mercy can help him out with that beforehand? If she does, they better teleport to a different city. Why feed the spies. Also, keep expanding our information network. I'll soon require agents with authorization to my private account in the various auction houses on the continent.”

“Wha– … for real?!”

“Is that doable?”

“Woah … ! You're serious?! I– … with enough capital, I think it is, but …”

“Good. Don't wait for me, I'll be preoccupied.”

…

Immortal Frontier official forum, Hall of Fame section, Blood Oath thread.

“Wah! He did it! All hail Chief Blood Oath!”

“Justice is served!”

“Hahaha! What's up, Lionheart? Isn't that what you wanted? You can only talk big, can't you?”

“Charles Lionheart, is it? The biggest fish in Geneva? That's all you amount to?”

“Haha, good one!”

“Reality check!”

“Man I'm so happy, I hate that pompous loudmouth!”

“Well, that was to be expected. You play with fire, you get burned.”

“This should be a lesson to everyone. Know your place and mind your own business.”

“Hell yeah!”

“He had his moment of fame, and now he will be forgotten like all those show-offs before him, only remembered as a cautionary tale.”

“Pfft, 'I've come to shake the world awake', what a clown.”

“Later, loser!”

…

Immortal Frontier official forum, Hall of Fame section, Charles Lionheart thread.

“Oh, oh, is it finally happening? Come on, I wanna see some bloodshed!”

“Oof, that had to hurt …”

“That was like the only expert tracker in Geneva, wasn't it?”

“He caught the killer! He caught him and didn't rip him up! Is he going soft?”

“Man, I'm disappointed …”

“What's he gonna do? He chased away the reps from India and China, how can he threaten Blood Brothers now? He can't even continue making bank without that tracker.”

“His own fault for not protecting the goose lying golden eggs. What a waste.”

“Well, I guess that's all she wrote.”

“Wow, you guys are so stupid, I'm leaving this thread.”

“Go on. Don't let the door hit you on the way out.”

…

“Sir! You can't enter like this!”

“Do you see me try?” Carl confronted the evolved guard in a black, flashy set of excellent plate armor. He was a genuine powerhouse, one that could effortlessly sweep the floor with dozens of average players.

“Hmm? You want something from me?” the imposing man inquired sternly.

“I do,” Carl confirmed fearlessly, provoking a grimace of discontent. “Tell Chief Veritus it's an emergency.”

“Hmph,” the guard scoffed. “A Beast Slayer and a Ghost Hunter. Lord Charles Lionheart, I assume? … Fine,” he acceded unwillingly after dawdling for a few seconds, but then … he did nothing!

Carl, however, readily understood that an elite grade 1 guard would possess some magical communicator linking him to his superiors. He was already surprised by the healer named Effie, when she notified him about a remote message from her sister. Apparently, the locals were quite up to date technologically.

The amount of spies watching him at this point was ludicrous. Most of them were merely after the drama, curious as to what he would do next. Blood Brothers stabbed him in the back and slandered him so badly – why was he taking it lying down? Was he afraid to retaliate?

Many were reveling in schadenfreude.

Oh, so you came to the City Hall? Did you really think you could achieve something here? Dream on! Wait … whaaat?!

Sudden shock shook the spectators. He got in! Led by an evolved guard! They didn't let anyone with a smudge of blood inside, so what was that about?!

But there was more – some of them used Hyperacusis and heard the exchange …

He got a meeting with the magistrate's aide just like that?!

While a commotion erupted among the upper echelon of various guilds, the gory hero strolled through the large building, drawing all the attention, pursued by whispers and scandal, escorted to the very end.

“Lord Lionheart, I suppose … this must be important?” the baffled dignitary welcomed.

“Chief Veritus, my apologies for barging in like that,” Carl greeted courteously. “This is a matter of the city's security,” he explained coolly, gesturing at the other door.

“Oh … in this case, please allow the Judge some time to finish his briefing. Is that alright?”

“Absolutely,” Carl complied, astounded by the most polite reception. “I take it the operation is progressing smoothly?”

Anselm grinned.

“I'll be honest with you, Lord Lionheart. If you were two or three hours late in contacting me, it would be a repeat of the scroll debacle – we would get nothing except scraps from the feast. But as it is … we beat everyone else to the punch! Haha! We've stretched ourselves really thin, but we prevailed! I can hardly contain my excitement, as you can see. Not only did we buy out some 90% of the necklaces, 617 of them, but we even made exclusive deals with a few of the manufacturers. That, of course–”

“Is your accomplishment, and your gain. Congratulations,” Carl interjected gracefully, prompting a smirk.

“Naturally. Thank you. Meanwhile, the auctions have commenced in the east, and the first numbers are in. Although we predicted it, I'm still in disbelief. They have already doubled in price! And this is just the beginning! Haha, we might have as well robbed a royal treasury, Lord Lionheart! How do you feel about that?” The strict professional rejoiced like a child.

“No need to feel bad about it at all.” Carl smiled. “My kin will be paying for that. By the way, may I use your banking terminal to transfer my winnings to a private account? Sadly, my current appearance is … objectionable.”

“By all means. Here.” Anselm swiftly produced a handheld device and helped with the task. “And … done. The Judge is also ready for you. I sincerely hope you'll remain in Geneva and bring us further fortune!”

“No worries, I'm going nowhere in the imminent future. We'll stay in touch, Chief Veritus.”

…

For the third time, the grand man stood in the same spot, with hands behind his back and a solemn countenance. This must have been how he showed respect – and he even initiated the conversation!

“Lord Lionheart.”

“Judge Demerius.” Carl mirrored the demeanor.

“I've heard what transpired. Is this why you're here?”

“So you've been informed? It is.”

“You've instantly located the alleged perpetrator.”

“I can see stigmas.”

This gave Albertus a pause, but his expression didn't change.

“What can I do for you?”

“We both know who did it.” Carl laid out the facts. “This is your city. You're not ignorant to the fate of your people who perished on expeditions, to the extortion, thefts, and deception. You just can't prove it.”

“That is correct.”

“But I'm here to tell you this is not how a righteous judge conducts himself.”

“Hmm?” Albertus lost his composure and raised his brows. “How then?” he demanded.

“By shedding light on the wicked. They hate the Truth, and when put in front of it, their vile visage is revealed – baring teeth, snarling and spitting venom.”

The magistrate nodded weightily, while Carl continued.

“You can't hear what they say about you in hushed conversations, but I can. To them you are nothing but pawns. Given the chance, they'll enslave you all, and destroy those who resist. Here, great wisdom is required. What will you do?” he challenged.

Albertus frowned, disturbed and troubled.

“We can't mark them without a charge. And even if we jail them … they may abandon their bodies and gain new ones.”

“Yes,” Carl agreed, then took half a step forward, peering into the mighty man's eyes. “But I … will still … be here.”

The electrifying staredown lasted for at least ten seconds …

“Very well. Let's go.”

Carl followed the tall elder unperturbed, but on the inside he was ecstatic and amused.

Did divine providence have humor?

“You have attained the honor of Righteous Judge!”

“You should visit the Temple of Immortals at your nearest convenience.”