area51novel Chapter 342 Raft Pound
Chapter 342 Raft Pound
Chapter 342 Raft Pound
"How is it—"
In the office, Lorne put down the documents in his hand and looked at Sharon and Marich sitting opposite him.
Sharon and Marich exchanged a glance, and then Marich spoke up, "It's all been investigated."
"We obtained the relevant information from an extraordinary gathering."
"Your villa, built on a pile of ruins, originally belonged to the Pound family."
"Their ancestors earned the title of viscount in the War of the Oath-Breaking and were loyal supporters of the Loen royal family, wielding considerable power in the army and their own fiefdoms."
"Viscount, sir—" Lorne muttered.
The exploration within the ruins was temporarily halted due to Lorne's ominous premonition. He sensed something unusual deep within the ruins, so he felt it necessary to investigate the origins of the house before taking any further action.
"But thirty-two years ago, two heirs of this family died of serious illnesses in succession. The old viscount had no choice but to take in a child from a collateral branch of the family," Marich continued.
"Not long after, the old viscount passed away." He paused, then continued, "That child, being young, couldn't resist various temptations. Under the instigation of his servants, he changed his steward and became a spoiled brat. Within a few years, he squandered most of his fortune, his title was reduced to baron, and even the family's house in Backlund was sold. In the following years, his title was reduced again, leaving him only a baron."
"A classic example of the decline and ruin of an aristocracy," Lorne remarked.
"So his house was sold to Miller Carter, and then it ended up in my hands."
"However, he died from a series of serious illnesses—" He stroked his chin thoughtfully.
"I feel this is related to those underground ruins."
"Although a long time has passed, the ruins clearly show signs of having been explored by others, and there are also some corpses inside."
"The stone gate that sealed off the ruins is also quite unusual."
"The old viscount definitely concealed the truth about the deaths of the two heirs, preventing the authorities and the church from investigating—"
"A secret they'd sacrifice two heirs to hide—the Pound family definitely knows something—"
"Do you have Pound's address from the Baron?" Lorne asked.
Sharon, who had been silent all along, suddenly spoke up: "He is currently renting an apartment at 29 West Villaras Street in Queens."
"Mm." Lorne nodded.
"I'm planning to speak with Baron Pound. What do you think?"
"You're quite famous now, it wouldn't be good for you to go alone," Marich advised.
"A little disguise will suffice, and the Pound family already has something to hide, so even if they're discovered, they won't dare to make a big deal out of it." Lorne turned his gaze to Sharon.
"What do you think, Ms. Sharon?"
"————" Sharon was silent for a moment, her blue eyes revealing no emotion, but in the end, she nodded almost imperceptibly.
West Velas Street is considered one of the safest neighborhoods in Backlund, since the police headquarters is located there. However, this isn't necessarily a bad thing for Lorne. He's recently become quite familiar with the police department, and to save face, the police generally won't cause him any trouble.
-
Raft Pound, the "famous" playboy who squandered his family fortune and fell from viscount to baron.
Even now, he still lives a life of debauchery and confusion, numbing himself with alcohol and cheap pleasures.
But in reality, his so-called extravagance was just a facade. If he didn't do this, if he didn't squander the family fortune, he would be targeted by countless people who coveted the family secrets. Even though he had become so harmless, he had still been questioned quite a bit over the years.
Even so, he still remembered his family mission.
He is of the Tudor family bloodline, a descendant of the Blood Emperor. He still remembers the glory of his bloodline and has been waiting for his opportunity.
However, before his moment of glory arrived, Lorne and his group came instead.
"Hey, wake up!"
Drowsy from the alcohol, Raft opened his eyes and found himself surrounded by two strangers.
Lorne and Marich, disguised, watched him from the left and right, while Sharon, in her vengeful form, concealed her presence.
"Who are you?! How dare you barge into my house?!" Raft snapped awake, his body trembling uncontrollably, and warned, his voice trembling with fear, "The West Velas Stadium is just across the street!"
"The police can't help you." Lorne shook his head slightly, and with a flick of his wrist, a dagger appeared.
The blade lightly touched Raft's neck.
Upon feeling the cool touch on his neck, Raft immediately became quiet.
"What do you want? If you want money, I—"
"No, no, no—" Lorne waved his index finger.
He glanced around the room, which reeked of decadence. Empty bottles, torn women's underwear, and a strange, indescribable odor permeated the air.
"You don't look like someone who can hold onto money. I bet you don't have much left." Lorne scoffed.
The harsh truth stunned Raft.
I—I was just pretending!
"Otherwise, how could those who covet our family think I'm harmless?" he roared inwardly.
But feeling the coldness on my neck—
Well, a life of depravity... it really is... pretty enjoyable... Thinking of this, he lowered his head in shame and indignation.
"If you don't want money, then what do you want?"
"We just have some questions we'd like to discuss with you," Lorne said.
"A problem?" Raft's lips moved for a moment, then a bitter smile, more like a grimace, appeared on his face. "Here we go again—am I destined to never escape this nightmare?"
"Have others asked this?" Lorne seized on the key point in his question.
"No, it's not just about asking! So much has happened around me since my uncle, the respected old viscount, passed away—"
"They want to know how the old viscount's two children died, and whether there was anything unusual about him in his last few years. How would I know—" He clutched his hair in despair.
"I was less than 10 years old at the time, and I didn't understand anything. I knew nothing!" He waved his arms, as if venting emotions that had been building up for years.
"He's not lying," Sharon's ethereal voice came from Lorne's ear. Marich nodded slightly in affirmation.
The interrogation seemed destined to end abruptly.
"No, that's not right." Lorne shook his head.
His intuition told him that there was something fishy about this.
The intuition of a "winner" is always very accurate.
"You're not lying, but there's definitely something you're hiding." Lorne curled the corners of his mouth and sheathed his dagger.
"You are very skilled at questioning, and the secret that you would keep hidden even in a life-or-death situation must be very special."
"This—" Raft opened his mouth blankly, his face turning even paler.
"I—what do I need to pretend or hide? I'm already like this, I—"
Before he could finish speaking, he saw Lorne pull a dark revolver from his pocket and press the cold muzzle against his forehead.
Have you ever heard of roulette?
"Why don't we let fate decide whether you're lying or not?"
>