Night Journey

Chapter 70 Power
Gavin's gaze was deep and unfathomable as he imprinted Cillian's face completely into his mind.

"Okay, it's time for me to go."

Gavin took two steps, then stopped and said goodbye.

"Looking forward to seeing you next time."

"See you next time, monk."

Cillian saw Gavin off and returned to the interrogation room.

Valerie's gaze was vacant, and her body twitched intermittently.

Her body was as new as ever, but the scars on her spirit had spread deep into Valerie's soul, and the slightest disturbance would cause her terror.

Cillian asked, "How is it?"

"She is indeed a member of the Claws, but she does not believe in the evils of chaos; instead, she wants to profit from them."

Dai Lin's brows furrowed.

“What about her tattoos?” Cillian continued. “It’s incredibly foolish to have the Chaos symbol tattooed so openly on her body.”

“You don’t understand. Language, writing, and symbols all possess power,” Dalin explained patiently. “Valerie’s tattoos are a kind of marking, a secret method often used by Chaos followers.”

"You can think of it as a beacon through which Chaos followers can recognize each other and even connect with the evil they serve."

As for the ordinary people who are imprinted, they usually show no signs of chaotic pollution, like hidden mines buried in the city, to be detonated at the necessary moment.

"Therefore, even ordinary people who do not believe in the evils of chaos, once they are marked, can only become their henchmen, right?"

Cillian thought, "With just a thought from the other party, the imprint will be detonated, and the power of chaos will engulf her and even pollute the surroundings."

“Pretty much, but we have a complete technology for removing imprints,” Daelin reassured him. “And with the suppression of the Lighthouse, it won’t be so easy for the Chaos Cultists to detonate the imprints.”

Cillian breathed a sigh of relief. "Now that we've discovered so many people, let's follow this lead and keep arresting them."

Anya has already taken care of it.

Where is Maefuni?

Cillian searched around but couldn't find anyone.

“She just left with Anya. Valerie’s matter has had a great impact on her,” Dalin sighed. “Moreover, Valerie’s network of interests is somewhat intertwined with the Centipede Merchant Guild. She needs to report this matter to her family as soon as possible.”

Dai Lin pressed his temples hard. No one could have imagined that the incident would develop so rapidly, catching everyone off guard.

Cillian peered through the observation window at the disheveled Valerie. "She probably knows quite a lot, but she's just not willing to tell us everything at once."

"Let's talk about it later. Gavin isn't here, and her condition is unstable. If she dies, this connection will be severed."

Dai Lin only had to recall what had just happened before his stomach churned and he felt a chill run through his body.

"What should she do?"

"Detain him for now, pending further action."

Cillian then asked, "After she loses her usefulness, will she be executed or subjected to a long period of imprisonment?"

Dai Lin had a bad feeling and shouted.

"What do you want to do?"

Cillian shrugged. "I want to say a few words to her."

Dai Lin was taken aback.

The horrific scene he had just witnessed was unbearable even for him, yet Cillian was filled with fervor and joy, as if he were in paradise.

Thinking back to her encounter with Cillian and the series of events that followed.

“Damn it, Cillian,” Daelin couldn’t help but ask, “Are you really a psychopath?”

“I consider myself an outstanding young man,” Cillian said seriously. “I should be awarded an award by the City Guard for remaining calm in the face of temptation.”

"That's it!" Dale screamed. "You don't care about beauty at all, you're only interested in chasing chaos!"

"This shows that I am hardworking and responsible, and you should trust me even more."

Cillian and Dalyn started singing in unison.

The bad news is that Cillian is suspected of being a bloodthirsty madman; the good news is that Cillian is very reliable, even to the point of being unsettling.

"You're not going to kill her, are you? Or do you want to take some parts from her body?"

Undeterred, Dalin asked, "Gavin was so focused earlier, did he learn a few tricks and want to put them to practice?"

"I really just wanted to talk to her for a bit."

Cillian nudged Dalyn, "And, I'd like to speak with her alone."

Dai Lin's thoughts raced.

Valerie's disguise was perfect from beginning to end, except for the tattoo, which she carefully concealed by covering it with another tattoo.

But Cillian still noticed that it seemed he felt no physical urges whatsoever when he looked at Valerie's beautiful body; instead, he was merely scrutinizing her with a meticulous, almost object-like gaze.

Realizing this, Dalin felt a deep chill, but then, when he thought of Cillian's suspected identity as an imperial envoy, everything seemed to make sense again.

The torchbearer from the holy city of the sun can do anything outrageous, but it's all within reason.

Moreover, he had confirmed the rumor with Gavin, and the various city-states began to take action, while the evil forces of chaos stirred up a storm...

Dai Lin suddenly felt a storm brewing and felt suffocated.

He made up his mind.

"Cillian, can I trust you?"

"Of course, you are my second friend."

Dalyn was amused by Cillian's words; he certainly knew who his first friend was—that bald dog.

"I can only give you a few minutes."

"it is good."

……

Hello, Valerie.

Cillian was incredibly enthusiastic, as if he were visiting a friend who was hospitalized.

"That was a memorable experience, wasn't it? Did you enjoy it?"

As he spoke, Cillian took Valerie's hand and gently stroked it, feeling the warmth and softness of her skin.

"what!"

Valerie was startled by the sudden touch and tried to pull her hand away, but Cillian held it firmly, preventing her from moving. "Weren't you eager for me to touch your body before? Why are you resisting now?"

Cillian leaned forward, as if to kiss her cheek, and whispered in her ear.

Is this considered playing hard to get?

“No… no no…”

Valerie pushed Cillian away forcefully and broke down in tears.

Gavin's atrocities shattered Valerie's psychological defenses, while Cillian's morbidity haunted her like a nightmare.

"Hahaha."

Seeing her like this, Cillian laughed and let go of her hand. "Alright, quiet down, Valerie. I don't have much time."

Valerie sobbed, Cillian emphasized.

"Quiet!"

Valerie took a deep breath, trying to control her trembling voice.

"very good."

Cillian patted Valerie's head, as if petting a cute puppy.

"To be honest, Valerie, you are indeed quite cute. If I hadn't gone through so much mess, I might have actually considered developing a relationship with you."

Cillian suddenly brought up the topic of relationships, "No, that's not right. After I settle things in Hel City, I will leave. I don't plan to take you with me, but my sense of responsibility doesn't allow me to be so frivolous with my feelings."

"We are indeed not suitable to be together."

Valerie stared intently at Cillian, completely baffled by what he was saying or what was wrong with him.

"Okay, let's get down to business."

“I know that in order to ensure that you still have value and are not abandoned, you must be holding back some information about the Claw.”

Cillian reassured him, "I don't intend to squeeze every last drop of value out of you. I just want to get some... exclusive information out of you."

"You... what do you mean?"

Valerie's voice trembled.

“Some of Brother Gavin are unaware of this, and you won’t tell anyone else later; it’s information that only I know.”

Cillian made his request, "For example, you should know where the Claws' next gathering will be, which is the alleyway, right?"

Valerie forced herself to calm down. "What are you going to do?"

Cillian stroked her head again. "What else can we do? Of course, we have to kill people."

Valerie's face turned pale. She had thought Cillian was joking when he mentioned killing people, but now she realized that he was serious and a complete, bloodthirsty madman.

“Compared to me… you are the one who is more like a follower of Chaos, Cillian.”

Valerie mustered her courage and retorted sarcastically.

"No, no, no, we are still different."

Cillian pointed out, "No matter how much you accuse me or hate me, one thing is undeniable: I still have the honor of being a human being."

"And you, Valerie."

Cillian's smile turned cruel. "The moment you choose to associate with them, you cease to be human... Would you feel pity for an insect?"

A bone-chilling cold enveloped Valerie once again. Although Cillian had just uttered those nonsensical and strange words, his bloodthirsty nature remained unchanged.

"I can tell you the information, but what's the price?"

Valerie racked her brains, searching for a way out.

She was met with a smile, and a pair of calloused hands cupped her head, vigorously rubbing her cheeks and carefully touching her nose, lips, brow bone, and carotid artery.

"Valerie, you're such a stupid woman."

Cillian countered with a question, "What do you think is the essence of power?"

Valerie couldn't keep up with Cillian's pace and was completely confused.

"five."

"Four."

Cillian began the countdown.

"Power...power is the coercive force of domination and obedience, and it is the foundation for consolidating order."

Valerie responded in a panic.

"wrong answer."

Cillian pried open Valerie's mouth and ran his fingers through her mouth, stirring it around.

"The essence of power is violence, it is making people believe that I can kill you at any time, but I choose not to. This illusion of 'not killing' is the real power."

Cillian pressed one hand against Valerie's teeth and used the other to hold the pocket watch close to her ear.

Valerie heard the ticking of the hands.

Tick-tick-tick-

“Valerie, you should beg me.”

Valerie's mind went blank, her breathing became rapid, and intense pain pierced through everything.

Cillian forcefully pulled out one of her teeth, and blood filled her mouth.

"I'll talk! I'll talk! They'll be there..."

Valerie poured out her heart, crying uncontrollably.

"very good."

Cillian released Valerie, wiped the blood off his hands, and placed the fallen tooth on the table.

“If I continue to use violence against you, you may lose your ability to speak, or you may have difficulty expressing yourself logically due to severe pain, or even die, which will affect the efficiency of my exercise of power.”

Therefore, I will establish an 'order' between us, and you will accept this 'order' in order to avoid being dominated by violence.

Cillian asked his last question.

Tania.

I need to know everything you remember about the name Tania.

(End of this chapter)