Faerun: The arcane mage is still too imprisoned.

Scarface let out a miserable howl, sweat beading on his forehead.

"I don't know," he said through gritted teeth.

Lance applied force with his hand.

The wound was squeezed, causing the blood to gush out even faster.

Scarface was trembling with pain, but he wouldn't give in.

"Really," Lance released his grip and stood up, "there's no point in putting up a fight."

"Now...the interrogation officially begins."

"You can choose any one of your ten fingers for our opening ceremony, but whether I will choose that finger is another matter."

"Or would you rather taste your own sashimi?"

"snort!"

Scarface snorted coldly.

"I won't tell you anything! Aaaaaaaah!!!"

"...Ahhhh! Wait, I'll tell you, I'll tell you everything!"

At this moment, Scar Wolf's left little finger was twisted 360 degrees.

"Besides collecting protection money and kidnapping kids for that big shot, what else does your Blood Wolf Gang do?" Lance asked. "What other gangs are around here? Where are they located? Who are their leaders?"

Scar Wolf stared at his spinning little finger, his Adam's apple bobbing, but he remained silent.

"Okay." Lance nodded.

"Aaaaaaaahhhhh!"

Scar Wolf's right little finger also rotated 360 degrees.

"Starting over, first question: What other gangs are around?"

Scarface was panting heavily, sweat rolling down his forehead: "The...Bone Shattering Gang...is in our west, and their leader is called 'Old Bones'."

How many people?

"Three... more than thirty..."

Are there any professionals among them?

"Old Bones... should be a Level 1 Wanderer... I'm not entirely sure..."

Lance noted it down, then asked, "Anything else?"

"The Gray Rat Gang... in the East District, over forty people, their leader Barton, is about a Level 2 warrior..."

"Is there anything else?"

"No...that's all...there are only three gangs like ours in this area..."

Lance nodded, moving the dagger to the wound on his right shoulder: "Now answer me: Who is that important person?"

Scarface tensed: "I...I really don't know...I've only ever seen his men...wearing gray robes...and masks..."

"What are your subordinates called?"

"No... I don't know... We all call him Lord Gray Robe..."

"What are the details of the transaction?"

"It's...it's about a kid...he gave us money...we gave it to his kid..."

"Only children?"

Scarface hesitated for a moment.

The dagger struck the wound again.

"Ah! I'll talk! I'll talk!" Scarface gasped in pain. "There are...and some more goods...packed in black boxes...we're only responsible for receiving and transferring them...we don't know what's inside..."

"Where will it be received from? Where will it be shipped to?"

"Received from...from the fourth outlet of the old canal...transported to the third outlet and handed over to the man in the gray robe...a transaction will take place three days later..."

"Why are there two openings?"

"N-no... I don't know... but the man in the gray robe said it's safe this way..."

Lance stared into Scar Wolf's eyes. Scar Wolf's eyes flickered, and sweat poured down his forehead.

"You're lying," Lance said.

"I don't!"

"You have it." Lance stood up. "But it's okay, I have a way to verify it."

He raised his hand, his fingertips shimmering with a pinkish glow.

[Bewitching humans!]

A pink light appeared in Scar Wolf's eyes, then vanished in an instant.

He froze, his eyes gradually becoming blank.

Scar Wolf is now extremely weak, and even as a professional, he is powerless against Lance's [Charm of Humans].

"Now," Lance squatted down again, "answer the question you just asked again."

Scarface stared blankly at him, his face displaying an almost foolish expression: "Sir...you asked..."

"You didn't lie to me either?"

"No, sir," Scar Wolf replied respectfully.

"Is there something being concealed?"

"Yes, sir."

"What are you hiding?"

"I overheard them say that they seemed to be members of an organization called 'The Thirsty Hand'."

"Anything else?"

"That's all, sir."

"Are the other two gangs connected to 'The Thirsty Hand'?"

"I don't know either."

Are there any children here?

"No, we just delivered a batch."

Lance has deactivated [Charm of Humans].

The spell's effects began to fade, and Scar Wolf's eyes gradually regained their clarity.

He suddenly realized what he had just said, and his face turned pale.

"You...you used magic again..."

"Hmm." Lance nodded. "What you said was actually the truth."

Scarface breathed a sigh of relief.

But Lance's next words plunged him into an icy abyss: "But unfortunately, you didn't finish the story."

Scar Wolf's pupils suddenly contracted.

"So you know," Lance said, staring into his eyes. "Your Blood Wolves are working for the Thirsty Hand, aren't you?"

"I..." Scar Wolf stammered.

Lance raised his hand.

[Magic Blast!]

A ghastly green beam pierced Scarface's forehead. His body stiffened, his eyes widened, and he slowly collapsed.

[Defeat 1 Level 1 Human Warrior, gain 100 experience points!]

[Killed 19 level 0 human, gained 385 experience point!]

Current experience: 1071/2000

The hall fell completely silent.

Lance looked around. Corpses lay scattered about, and blood stained the ground.

The flames were still burning, setting many pieces of wooden furniture ablaze.

He went up to the second floor and checked every room.

They also found some gold and silver coins and a few other valuable trinkets in the cellar, which they put into their otherworldly pocket.

Then he returned to the hall, splashed wine, and made the flames burn even more fiercely.

The flames spread rapidly, engulfing the wooden structure and the corpses, with thick smoke billowing upwards.

[A magical trick!]

After cleaning himself up, Lance left.

When they returned to the villa, Cielsa was still waiting at the second-floor window.

Upon seeing Lance, she immediately ran downstairs to open the door.

"Lord Lance!" she exclaimed with a bright smile, "You're back!"

"Um."

Lance entered the room, took off his blood-stained robe, and said, "It's all taken care of. It was quite easy."

Cielsa breathed a sigh of relief: "That's great... I heard some noise in the distance, and I saw flames..."

"I burned that place down."

Cielsa nodded and turned to pour water.

Lance sat in a chair in the living room and closed his eyes.

1071 experience points, enough to level up.

However, the experience points gained from killing level 0 humans will decrease significantly after leveling up, and I haven't learned many level 0 or 1 spells yet... It's not time to level up now.

He recalled the intelligence he had received from Scarface.

The Shattered Bone Gang, the Gray Rat Gang, the Gray Robe Gang, the Thirsty Hands, and the No. 4 and No. 3 outlets of the old irrigation canal.

Is it a cult?

But Lance had never heard of this sect; it must be some unknown, third-rate cult.

"Lord Lance," Cielsa said, bringing over a glass of water, "are you tired?"

"No." Lance took the water and drank it all in one gulp. "I found out some things. The big shot at the Old Canal has a deal to make in three days. The other party is from the Thirsty Hands. But if he's not stupid, he definitely won't come now."

Cielsa frowned: "That must be a cult..."

"Hmm." Lance put down his cup. "There are two other gangs in this area, the Bonebreaker and the Grey Rat. It's not clear yet whether they have any connection to the Thirsty Hand."