The carriage finally slid to a stop. The men quickly opened the door and dragged Jasper out. While inside the carriage, Jasper had not been able to determine where they were taking him. When he finally stepped out, his eyes widened. He found himself standing in front of a large mansion.
He quickly scanned the surroundings and noticed several other majestic buildings nearby. He had no idea where he was. However, judging by how long the carriage had traveled, he concluded that he was still somewhere within Gruoce Town.
Soon the large iron gate opened, and he was dragged inside the mansion grounds. In front of the mansion stretched a wide garden decorated with colorful flowers. Jasper guessed these people were likely connected to the Omma Auction House, as the mansion looked extremely expensive. Only those who owned guilds, auction houses, or powerful merchant organizations could afford to live in such luxurious estates.
He was quickly dragged along the side of the mansion and toward the back. Even the rear grounds were carefully maintained. For a brief moment, Jasper found himself wishing he could live in a place like this.
Suddenly his eyes shifted toward a gazebo standing at the center of the garden. Two people were seated inside. As they approached, he could see that one looked young while the other appeared much older.
The leader of the group stopped several meters away and bowed deeply. The other three men immediately followed. Jasper maintained a confused expression as he stared at the gazebo. The two people who had been talking noticed them, stopped their conversation, and turned their attention toward the group.
"Greetings, Master and Young Master. This is the boy who mined White Crystal at Obsidian Rock Mountain," the leader said respectfully.
The older man, who looked to be in his fifties, narrowed his eyes at Jasper. Meanwhile, Jacques' face twisted into an expression of disgust.
"Are you sure this is the one who mined there for six months without anyone noticing?" Jacques asked.
"Yes, Young Master. He is the one we confirmed. He lives in the slums with his family. After failing to awaken his trait six months ago, he began mining at Obsidian Rock Mountain," the leader explained.
"Ugh… disgusting." Jacques' face twisted when he heard that Jasper had failed to awaken his trait. "Did he tell you how he knew about the crystal in that mountain?" Jacques asked with clear disdain.
"We have not yet questioned him about that, Young Master," the leader replied quietly.
"It doesn't matter. You!" Jacques called out to Jasper. "Who told you that Obsidian Rock Mountain contained White Crystals? And who asked you to mine there?" Jacques demanded.
Jasper stood silent for a few seconds. Not because of the question, but because he himself did not know who had told him that the abandoned caves had White Crystals. He had been trying to remember since morning but could not recall anything.
"Young Master, no one told me. I only knew that Obsidian Rock Mountain had many abandoned caves. Many guilds rejected me for being inexperienced, so I went there to try my luck," Jasper said hurriedly. "I didn't do anything wrong, Young Master. I didn't steal anything…"
Before he could finish speaking, Jasper was suddenly lifted into the air. Black ropes shot out from Jacques' sleeves and wrapped around Jasper's neck. Jasper kicked his legs helplessly as he struggled to breathe. His face turned pale and foam gathered at the corner of his mouth. Before he could even understand what was happening, his limbs went limp and he stopped struggling.
Seeing Jasper lose consciousness, the ropes retreated back into Jacques' sleeves.
Thud!
Jasper fell to the ground limply without any reaction.
However, that was only his outward reaction. Jasper was simply acting like a normal unawakened person would. Even before the ropes had wrapped around his neck, he had clearly seen them emerge from Jacques' sleeves. At first he was surprised, but when the ropes were about to reach his neck, he could easily have avoided them. His reaction speed was far too great. However, he chose to pretend he was suffocating.
"Hang him at the center of the town," Jacques ordered coldly.
The men who had been watching in stunned silence snapped back to attention when they heard the order and stepped forward to lift Jasper's limp body.
However, suddenly they noticed a gesture from the old man sitting opposite Jacques.
Confused, they immediately stopped what they were doing and looked at Jacques.
"What is it, Father?" Jacques asked.
The old man did not answer immediately.
"Wake him up," he ordered calmly.
The next moment the leader of the group stomped heavily on Jasper's stomach. Jasper jolted awake and gasped for air while clutching his neck. He struggled to breathe as he sat up. Before he could recover, two men grabbed his arms and forced him to kneel.
"To whom did you sell all the White Crystals?"
The older man spoke again, his voice deep and commanding.
Jasper, still struggling to breathe, coughed several times before answering.
"I… I sold all the crystals to Erminio Ressel, a blacksmith in this town," Jasper replied with difficulty. "I didn't do anything wrong."
Jacques looked at Jasper with the same disgusted expression. He did not understand why his father was wasting time since they already knew who had bought the crystals.
"What else did you find inside the mountain cave?" the old man asked again, his tone firm.
"I only found White Crystals, nothing else, Master. I swear on my mother. If you don't believe me, you can ask Erminio. He will vouch for me," Jasper continued his act.
"He certainly will vouch for you," the old man muttered quietly.
"Throw him out," the old man said. "This is your first and last warning. If you ever step foot on that mountain again, your head will be cut off clean."
However, before Jasper could even breathe a sigh of relief, an angry voice rang out.
"Father, what are you doing?" Jacques snapped. "This guy mined White Crystal for six months and you're letting him go? If we release him, others will laugh at us and think they can do anything without consequences. We should hang him in public and make an example out of him!"
Hearing the word hang, Jasper felt his heart tighten.
Hang in public? What is wrong with this guy? You can't hang someone simply because he mined at an abandoned cave.
However, a cold fear rose inside him after hearing Jacques' voice. Jasper could tell this was not an empty threat. Jacques truly meant it.
"Young Master, I swear on my family I will never do anything like this again. Please spare my life. I am the only son in my family. I have to take care of them," Jasper pleaded hurriedly, his forehead hitting the ground as he knelt.
Though Jasper believed he could fight if necessary, if they decided to target both him and his family, he doubted he could defeat all these awakened people. For now, begging was the safer option.
"This is your final warning," the old man said coldly. "If you ever do something like this again, your family will be the first to die. Throw him out."
"Father!" Jacques shouted angrily.
But before he could continue, the old man raised his hand, silencing him. He signaled the guards to take Jasper away.
Seeing the signal, the leader quickly pulled Jasper to his feet and began dragging him away from the back garden.
"Father, why would you do that?" Jacques demanded, his face red with anger.
"Son, people like him stand at the very bottom of power. Killing people like him brings us no benefit but only shame," Nerio Bernardi replied calmly. "And remember this—your name must never be stained by killing some insignificant nobody."
Nerio Bernardi was the head of the Bernardi House, one of the most powerful families in Gruoce Town. He was also the guild master of the Sky Victories Guild, the strongest guild in the town, with branches in multiple locations. The Sky Victories Guild controlled most of the dungeon mines in Gruoce Town.
"Still, Father, we should display our power from time to time using people like him. Otherwise our enemies will forget who we are," Jacques said bitterly.
"Yes, of course we must show who we are—but not by killing some insignificant puppet. We deal with the puppeteer instead," Nerio Bernardi said, his voice carrying a faint sinister tone. "Let's pay a visit to this blacksmith."
——————
Ressel Forging House
Inside the dark forging room, loud laughter echoed as the space was suddenly illuminated by a deep green light. When the bright glow faded, Erminio stood before the worktable.
On top of it lay a newly forged double-edged sword.
Intricate runes faintly glowed along the blade's surface.