A brave man may not live, but he cannot die

Chapter 299 Quinn

After exchanging a glance with Ike, Quinn got up and followed Elon out of the reception room.

“Mr. Shelby, my father’s medication has some side effects, and he may be sleeping very soundly. You can observe him, but please don’t do anything that might wake him.”

"Just call me Little Shelby."

Elon walked ahead, waving to disperse the servants along the way and preventing them from following.

“Many people in East Wales—bureaucrats, law enforcement officers, businessmen, and even most members of parliament—don’t really take the West Wales gangs seriously, considering them just a common security problem.”

"To put it nicely, they're gangsters; in reality, they're just thugs," Quinn said with a humble smile.

As he walked, he said, "Several Westville has nearly ten times the population of Eastville. Those illegal workers, stowaways, and homeless people—they are all destabilizing factors in the city. Yet, the vast city of Several Westville only has three police stations. The law enforcement officers are only responsible for managing traffic to the mountaintop; they never appear on the streets except on tax days. Order in Several Westville is actually maintained by the underworld."

"To manage such a large population so well, to form a set of unspoken rules that can be called order, to unite people together for survival through race and culture. Whether it is the Golden Wind, the Razor Gang, or the White Bandits, or even the small gangs in every neighborhood, there are many outstanding people like you."

Normally, Quinn would politely reply, "You flatter me."

But now that he's set up as a gangster with questionable education, he can only scratch his head and chuckle sheepishly: "So-so. I learned my skills in prison. The best ones are all executed."

Elon glanced at Shelby through the reflective marble slabs of the corridor.

That innocent look didn't seem fake.

He continued, “I’ve always believed that the difference between me and you is simply luck. If I hadn’t been born into the Branson family, if I hadn’t lived in this house on the hilltop, I might be one of those squatting on the streets of Seaville. Just like how, if life hadn’t been so difficult, if I hadn’t lacked a good education as a child, if I hadn’t faced a lack of fair social conditions as an adult, you wouldn’t be in prison—”

"He went in for soliciting prostitutes," Quinn chuckled dryly.

"."

Elon thought to himself that he had truly encountered a genius.

If the boss is so good at handling things, how come his trusted subordinates are so slow-witted?
Can't you tell I'm pouring my heart out to you and building a relationship? Okay, wait a bit and I'll give you some benefits so you'll keep your mouth shut?

“I want to eliminate this disparity caused by unfair fate as much as possible. Order in Seawell should not be maintained by gangs. Once Golden Wind grows big, you can completely launder your money and become a legitimate trading company. Talented people deserve the respect of society. The entire Seawell Council wants to do this, and only I can do it. And now I need your help, Mr. Shelby.”

“It’s a package deal!” Quinn paused, then asked doubtfully, “Are the profits of a company after it’s been laundered as high as those from smuggling?”

“Yes.” Elon gritted his teeth.

Playing the lute to a cow is an example of this.

If Ike were here, he'd be patting his chest and shouting, "It's a success!"

At the same time, he was a little hesitant.

Elon has a wide circle of friends and never discriminates against others based on race, nationality, or family background. He also knows many people in Seville, but this typical gangster fool is definitely not among them.

Why then?
When Hakimi smelled him, did he feel a sense of familiarity?

He led Quinn to a guest room.

This room is located near the end of the second-floor corridor. It has no windows and three doors that connect different areas.

Quinn had read about this strange room in the books that Ankuya gave him to learn about other worlds.

It was called the "Discipline Room"—not for disciplining children, but for the master to discipline servants who had made mistakes.

Before Merlin wrote the Law of Slavery, slaves were always regarded as the private property of buyers. The so-called admonition was actually a form of torture and beatings that was close to punishment. The windows were not opened so that the other slaves waiting downstairs could guess what was happening inside by listening to the sounds. Finally, the wounded people were pushed out through the special passage, which could produce a more terrifying deterrent effect than the visual evidence.

After the enactment of the Slave Law, which was sworn to be enforced by kings of various countries, the practice of beating and scolding slaves decreased significantly, and only the courts could convict slaves. While this could not completely eliminate the behavior of some cruel individuals, the face-conscious southern nobles gradually abandoned forms of punishment and instead hired stewards to manage their servants, while they themselves pretended to be civilized and benevolent people.

Discipline rooms were an essential structure in early castles. Even nobles who valued tradition would retain them when building new castles or manors, but their purpose was no longer to discipline slaves, but rather to have "heart-to-heart talks" with maids.

This is what is known as a brothel.

Because of its structure and convenience—one door leads to the master's bedroom, another to the downstairs alley, and yet another that can be converted into a shower room for bathing—the novel uses of the "discipline room" gradually spread among the common people and became one of the jokes mocking the lives of the nobility.

The Branson family's "discipline room" doesn't have the stereotypical large bed.

Instead, it's a simple sofa and coffee table, making it look like a smaller, more private, and windowless reception room.

"Wait here for me."

Elon asked Quinn to sit down first. "I'll go and bring Father over."

Quinn nodded, wondering why they didn't just go to Reeve's room.

Elon opened the door on the right and disappeared from sight along the dark corridor.

Quinn had visited the Branson family a few times, and he had just been led through the corridor by Quinn, so he could roughly get a feel for the place. Judging from the traditional structure of the disciplinary room, the door behind him should lead to the master bedroom in the center of the third floor, which was the master bedroom of the head of the family.

However, Elon went to the right, and Quinn saw a staircase leading down before the door closed.

Does Reeve not live in the master bedroom?
Xia Dai'er said that her father had been recuperating in a small building at the very back of the manor, but no servants ever came or went from that building. Although the Branson family could afford to use arcane puppets as servants, it seemed more like a prison.

Even Reeve's daughter wasn't allowed in, because the disease might be contagious.
Traditionally, this alleyway in the disciplinary room was intended for maids to have affairs. It was designed to be extremely secluded for privacy and reputation; perhaps Elon was walking this way to avoid being seen by the other servants?
And the third door.
Quinn glanced at the door closest to the corridor, the one he had just entered through. It seemed there was no need for a shower in this secret room. The manor was less than twenty years old, and Reeve's personal conduct didn't seem as dissolute as other wealthy people.
While he was lost in thought, the door opened.

Quinn looked up and saw a cute pink-haired girl standing at the door holding a photo album, winking playfully at him.

Behind her followed her cousin, Lucas.

Lucas looked displeased, but presumably Elon had given him some instructions, so he carried a plate of tea and fruit to act as a servant.

His father was none other than Rugal, the gambling addict Quinn bumped into at the Golden Wind Casino last week. After the demise of the Razorfen Downs, Rugal, who was heavily in debt, was no longer required to betray his master to pay off his debts, probably thinking he had been blessed with incredible luck.

Ike had already reported Rugal's situation to Elon, whose reaction upon hearing the news was not surprising. Clearly, Elon was plotting something; instead of dealing with Rugal, his most capable uncle, he pretended to know nothing and allowed the father and son to remain at the manor.

"Mr. Shelby, greetings." Xia Dai'er revealed her elegant demeanor after a long time. She picked up the photo album with the grace of an elegant swan. "My brother asked me to tell you about my father's past."

Quinn understood. Elon was indeed meticulous in his work. To play the role of a celebrity, it was not enough to rely solely on external materials for learning.

For introducing more personal details, Chaldale is clearly more suitable than a butler or servant.

She sat down opposite Quinn, her legs together and slightly angled. Her clothes reminded Quinn of the girls' uniform in "Kaguya-sama: Love Is War," except it was white, with black knee-high cotton stockings clinging to her thighs. Despite being a light and appropriate outfit, the astonishing size of her chest still made it difficult to know where to look.

Pavlov's dog, Merlin's cat, Quinn's cow
Quinn, Quinn, how could you have fallen so low!

“Hey—” Lucas, who was pouring tea, sneered, “Mind your manners. This isn’t some garbage-strewn Sewell. If you offend Miss, watch out.” “Brother Lucas,” Chalier interrupted him coldly, “This is my brother’s guest. Even if there’s a misunderstanding, you can’t lose your manners.”

Lucas wanted to say that this lecherous old man was staring at his chest with a lecherous look.

But I couldn't bring myself to say it.

"I understand. I'm sorry, please have some tea."

He glared fiercely at Quinn, then handed the teacup to Chaldale first—according to custom, it should have been given to Quinn, the guest, first.

Lucas's gaze was quite gentlemanly, always looking at Chaldale directly without glancing sideways, but unfortunately Chaldale didn't even look at him.

After pouring the tea, Lucas moved to sit on the same side as Chaldale, keeping a half-meter distance between them. This made it easy for him to refill her tea without getting too close, making him seem like a gentleman compared to Quinn.

"This photo was taken in 1419, a picture of my father and my grandfather when my father inherited the Branson family. The watch on his wrist was a gift from my maternal grandfather, which my father has cherished and worn to this day."

Xia Dai'er opened the photo album and began to introduce Quinn in a soft voice.

Although cameras are already common in Taumourian.

But taking photos is still a luxury for ordinary people. Cameras and film are expensive, and people only go to photo studios for major happy occasions like weddings.

This is where the class difference lies. Even when Reeve was young and had not yet made his fortune, he had the leisure to record his life at will. This album contains a large number of clear and well-composed photos. Quinn even suspected that Reeve had hired a professional photographer as his personal secretary.

He wears his watch on his right hand, habitually slicks his hair to the left, doesn't always insist on standing in the center of a group photo, has a smile that exudes an old-money aura, and has many photos of himself working overtime, heavily exposed due to nighttime shooting.
Quinn wasn't a detective, but he could still glean some basic characteristics from these photos.

Left-handed, energetic, with excellent social skills but doesn't like to show off, has a habit of carrying a pipe, and prefers to listen attentively and focus when talking to people.
A very typical image of an upper-class elite.

If it weren't for Jack's meddling, Reeve would be campaigning for his son all over the city right now, and Chaldale wouldn't have become rebellious during her adolescence due to her mother's busy schedule and her father's disappearance, leading her to sneak out of town, be captured by goblins, and ultimately meet her...
Speaking of rebellion...
Quinn's eyes shifted slightly upwards.

Lucas was listening intently to the young lady's story, nodding occasionally to praise the head of the family and complimenting his daughter for being filial. But what was Xia Daier doing?

From an angle that only Quinn can see.

Her skirt was subtly lifted, revealing her snow-white panties, which were then gently moved down by fingers.
Quinn took a deep breath and closed his eyes.

Marriage law saved me: in divorce, half of the property is divided, the bride price is not returned, and the house belongs to the woman.
Wait, half of Xia Dai'er's fortune?
Now that we've covered the rewards, what about the punishment?

"Hey," Lucas frowned at Quinn, "The young lady is explaining it to you personally. What are you doing?"

Xia Dai looked at Quinn with an innocent expression, her hands neatly placed on her knees as if nothing had happened.

"I find it more comfortable to listen with my eyes closed." Quinn kept changing his sitting posture, crossing his legs.

"Isn't that just sleeping?" Lucas laughed in exasperation.

"Is it too stuffy?" Xia Dai'er thoughtfully suggested, "Brother Lucas, why don't you go and open the door?"

“Of course.” Lucas stood up, noticing Quinn’s empty cup. He thought to himself that this birdman could drink like a buffalo, but out of courtesy, he had to refill his teacup. Just as he was about to do so, Chaldale preemptively stood up and picked up the teapot—

"Let me do it; I can't always bother you~"

Chaldie poured tea for Lucas first, moving very slowly, as if afraid of spilling it.

Lucas felt a surge of warmth in his heart, and was so flattered that he didn't know what to say.

The young lady didn't treat me like a servant; she actually cared about me quite a bit.
When Lucas opened the door and turned around again, Chaldie, who had just poured tea for Shelby, naturally sat back down and continued their conversation.

Savoring the soft, moist sensation on his tongue, Quinn remarked that the Branson family home was truly a den of dragons and tigers.

I've really spoiled you. Hurry up and go to the kitchen to cook for me. Put on an apron, and don't wear a coat or underwear. Then pretend to cut your hand and call me over.

"This photo is..."

When Elon returned, a full half hour had passed.

The first thing he noticed when he came in was Lucas's flushed face, and he asked in confusion, "What's wrong? Are you feeling unwell?"

Lucas thought to himself that he had been holding in his pee and had drunk too much tea; he had gone out to change the tea three times.

"It's alright, it's alright. We had a very pleasant conversation." Although his bladder was about to burst, Lucas was pleasantly surprised to feel that his relationship with his sister seemed to have returned to what it was a few years ago.

Could she like me? Otherwise, why would she be so attentive, pouring me tea all the time?
She must be shy; she kept telling me to close and open the door, and her temperature kept fluctuating between hot and cold.
"You two can leave now. Mr. Shelby and I have something to discuss." Elon felt a little uncomfortable, but didn't think much of it.

Chaldie obediently got up, said hello, and left without giving Shelby a second glance.

She hadn't taken two steps when her brother called her back. A sudden surge of nervousness, like being caught doing something wrong, washed over her. But Elon simply said:

"It's cold at home, my feet get cold if I don't wear socks. Seriously!"

"Okay, okay, you nagging old man."

Xia Dai'er made a face at the two of them, not knowing who she was making it for, before leaving in a cheerful mood.

After the two women left, Elon pushed the wheelchair in from behind the door.

The dignified middle-aged man sat slumped in his wheelchair, fast asleep as Elon had said.

Quinn keenly noticed that a pug was crouching in the darkness behind the door.

Because there were no windows and no sunlight, he couldn't make out Reeve's shadow.

Meanwhile, Reeve had his jewelry removed, and he wasn't even wearing the watch his father-in-law had given him. The room was also very simply decorated, with no items that could be used as mirrors.

“Please do so,” Elon said, watching Shelby from the side.

Quinn walked forward calmly, closed his eyes, and then opened them.
A throbbing pain, almost suffocating him, suddenly shot through his mind—

Within the vision of the Demon King's Eye.

The azure blue of the starflower spread across Reeve's entire body like cracks.

He seemed to see the stars in the sky shining brightly before him, the light so intense that it had lost all beauty. Only a blinding, stinging pain remained. But that wasn't all; he saw one, two, three—countless almost illusory "eyes" silently watching him through his body!

(End of this chapter)