Goddess Kaleidoscope

After reading the extortion letter, Servis knew that she couldn't possibly resolve the matter on her own in a short time, so she decisively sought help from the all-powerful Master Lud.

After receiving the ransom note from Servis, Ludwig glanced at it briefly. It only said that the theater troupe should prepare the ransom, but did not specify the time or place for payment. So he turned to Servis and asked her.

"Barr left this morning, right? Do you know where he went?"

“He didn’t say where he was going, but he assured me that he would be back in two hours at most and that it would definitely not delay the performance.”

"Within two hours... Arvit will bring the map."

As instructed by Lud, Aylvit immediately retrieved a topographical map of Flamewood City. Servis was taken aback upon seeing the map, for she realized it wasn't an ordinary map, but a city defense map—a military-grade map—that meticulously depicted every street and alley within the city to scale.

Normally, only the city lord and high-ranking officers of the city guard can possess this thing; ordinary people who have it will be beheaded!

For a moment, Servis panicked.

"Master, how did you come to have this?"

"Of course, it's to deal with situations like this now, what else can we do?"

Lude rolled his eyes at Servis, then took a ruler and compass and drew a circle on the map with the Sky Opera House as the center, marking all the shops in that area.

Lude looked at a few points on the map and said without looking up.

“Alvit, gather the (Heroic Spirit) squads. Each squad of three, with one searcher, will go to these locations on the map. Servis, could you please retrieve some of Baal's personal belongings? Tracking will require them.”

At Rudd's command, the remaining twelve members of the Heroic Spirit squad quickly arrived at the theater and split into groups to await orders. The Searchers were special individuals among the Heroic Spirits, with enhanced tracking abilities. While describing the girls as dogs might be a bit inappropriate, they certainly fulfilled the role of hunting dogs.

Servis also brought some of Baal's personal belongings, a whole bunch of pink bunny dolls, so muscular that it was hard to look directly at them!

"Each group, begin operations now. Once you have located the target, do not act rashly. Wait for my further instructions. Understand?"

"Understood!" x12

"set off!"

After the Heroic Spirit Squad was dispatched, Lud asked Servis to issue an announcement when the performance started, saying that there had been a last-minute change in the cast for today's show, and that a reserve actor would temporarily fill in for the show, and that he would do his best to rescue them.

When the lead actor of the Rainbow Choir is kidnapped, Rudd's first suspect is naturally Katie, who has a vested interest in the matter; she is undoubtedly the prime suspect. But Rudd has a vague feeling that something is not quite right.

But no matter what, let's get them back first.

After the Heroic Spirit Squad was dispatched, they quickly found a lead. The second group successfully tracked Baal's trail and followed it all the way to Wind Street in the west of the city, which the locals called "Rat Street." As soon as the three female Heroic Spirits of the second group arrived, they were harassed in the street by several thugs. To avoid alerting the thugs, they chose to retreat temporarily.

It's currently confirmed that Baal is somewhere in Rat Street, but the exact location requires further searching. However, the local thugs are very unfriendly, harassing any unfamiliar faces on the street, which is greatly hindering the Heroic Spirit Squad's search operation.

They could definitely win in a fight; the fully equipped Heroic Spirit Squad could easily slaughter the entire street without leaving a single survivor. However, the hostages' lives would likely be in danger, so the squad requested reinforcements from Hume and Fallen Leaves.

Hume and Fallen Leaf had been lurking in Flamewood City for several months, using their disguise abilities to maintain several identities while operating locally. As long as they used their "familiar faces" in Rat Street, they could cover for their pursuers to conduct their search in Rat Street without interference.

Upon learning of this situation, Ludwig immediately called Hume and Fallen Leaf, and together they went to the vicinity of Rat Street to meet up with the Heroic Spirits Squad.

"what's the situation?"

"The second team was stopped at the street corner. The other teams just circled the entire perimeter of the block and found no other traces. The hostage must be somewhere on this street."

"Hume, are you familiar with this street?"

"I'd say so. I have a middleman's alias who knows the bar owner on this street. That guy is no pushover; his backer is Beggar King Pig. Rat Street is basically his territory. Everyone who hangs out here has to give him some tribute."

"Then can you lead us in safely?"

"It should be possible,"

At Hume's suggestion, she became the broker Feeney, and then Brunhilde, the best tracker in the Heroic Spirit Squad, used the artifact mask to transform herself into a fat, middle-aged man, and under the guise of "introducing business," she brazenly entered Rat Street to continue the tracking.

Once Baal's exact location is confirmed, the Heroic Spirit Squad will launch a rescue operation after nightfall. Alvit assured Rudd that they would complete the mission flawlessly; after all, they had received Rudd's professional training, and rescuing hostages would be a piece of cake for them!

End of this chapter

With Hume's "familiar face" leading the way, Brunhilde successfully entered Rat Street without being harassed by the thugs. She quickly located a dilapidated courtyard and confirmed that the kidnapped Baal was inside.

Hume observed the thugs at the courtyard gate and, judging from their tattoos, determined they were all low-level scum. They didn't have any big shots protecting them; Yanmu City had no shortage of scoundrels, so there was no need to worry about beating them up.

After confirming their target, Hume led Brunhilde out from the other end of Rat Street, circled back, and rejoined Ludd. All they had to do next was wait for night to fall.

Meanwhile, on the kidnappers' side, the brothers Mafin and Maru were squatting in a drafty, dilapidated house, warming themselves by a fire and drinking, while plotting how to use the hostages they had to force the Rainbow Dance Troupe to submit, completely unaware that they had been targeted.

Maru told his brother that he had already "planned" everything. First, they would keep the hostages with them for a few days; the other side was just a dance troupe, they certainly couldn't afford the 500 gold coins ransom. Once they were out of options, he would represent the Navarro family, saying he could help them get the hostages back, but on the condition that they pledge allegiance to the Navarro family's merchant guild. He figured the other side would definitely comply, and they could take down the dance troupe without spending a single copper coin. Then Juan's brother-in-law would surely praise him as a clever little devil!

After hearing this, Mafin, whose IQ was on the same level as Maru, slapped his thigh and gave Maru a thumbs up.

"Bro, that's brilliant!"

Just as the two brothers were immersed in their wonderful dreams for the future, one of Mafin's men suddenly ran in from outside, looking flustered, and said to his boss.

"Big brother, something terrible has happened!"

"What's wrong? Why are you in such a panic?"

"It's...it's the Beggar King! The Beggar King suddenly brought his men over! They're right at our door right now, saying they want to talk business with you."

"what!?"

Upon hearing that the Beggar King had suddenly arrived, Mafen was taken aback.

The Beggar King is the ruler of Rat Street. Although he is far inferior to the truly powerful figures in the entire Yanmu City, he is still better than most, and much better than a small-time gangster like Mafen who only has a dozen or so thugs under his command.

Before they successfully secured a powerful connection with the Navarro family, the other party remained a formidable opponent they couldn't afford to offend.

"Brother, let's go out and take a look."

"Uh-huh."

Not knowing what the Beggar King was there for, the two brothers decided to go out together. Mafen felt that Maru, after all, worked for Juan and was considered part of the Navarro family. Even if the Beggar King looked down on him, he should at least give his brother some face.

The two men went outside together, and as soon as they stepped out the door, they were startled by the scene before them. There were at least a hundred or so beggars in tattered clothes gathered on the street, surrounding a strange-looking eight-bearer sedan chair. Sitting on it was a huge, fat man who weighed at least three hundred pounds. He looked down at the two brothers with an arrogant expression. He was none other than the leader of the Beggar Clan in Yanmu City, the Beggar King Pig.

As the leader of thousands of beggars in Yanmu City, Beggar King Pig is, in a sense, the most well-informed person in the city. His eyes and ears are everywhere in the streets and alleys, and almost nothing can be hidden from him, unless he deliberately pretends not to know.

So when the Beggar King came to the door, even though she wasn't very bright, Mafen vaguely guessed that he was there for the hostage in the house.

"Boss Beggar King, what brings you here?"

"What? Can't I come? This Rat Street is all my territory. You and your bunch of scoundrels should be grateful for my kindness in having a place to stay. Is this how you treat your benefactor?"

Facing the muffins, the Beggar King's attitude was extremely arrogant. In this filthy place that nobles were unwilling to set foot in, the Beggar King considered himself the undisputed king of this place, so he didn't take the group in front of him seriously at all.

"Muffin, I heard your men went in to 'hunt'. Where's the prey they caught? Bring it out so I can see it."

"Boss Beggar King, this isn't appropriate! Even so..."

"Just hand it over when I tell you to. Why all the nonsense? Do I have to repeat myself several times? This is Rat Street, the territory of my Beggar King. You've made your home on my land, so paying taxes and tributes to me is only natural. What? Are you planning to rebel?"

"you……"

Faced with the aggressive Beggar King, Mafen was at a loss for how to respond. His intention was not to give up the hostage he had finally managed to capture, but unfortunately, the Beggar King was someone he could not afford to offend. The other party had brought over a hundred people to block the door, clearly intending to forcibly take the hostage if he did not give it to him. It could be said that his arrogance had reached a point of lawlessness.

Muffin glanced at his brothers beside him, who were just as panicked as he was, and finally struggled to speak.

“Boss Beggar King, my brother Maru was also involved in this deal. He was working for Lord Juan of the Navarro family.”

"Heh! Trying to scare me? Maru is nothing but a lackey. He only got a dog leash because his sister groveled to Juan. Does he really think he's a human being after being a domestic dog for a few days?"

Faced with the Beggar King's precise, insidious, and vicious mockery, the two brothers were momentarily overwhelmed. Maru almost broke through his defenses. If he weren't cowardly and knew that rushing forward would only result in his death, he really wanted to jump up and punch the Beggar King's fat pig face. Unfortunately, he didn't dare to.

The Beggar King stared at his hands, which he clenched and then released, a disdainful sneer on his face.

"You have one minute to hand over the person, or I'll send my 'army' in to take them themselves. You can choose for yourselves."

"..."xN

Inside the courtyard, Baal, who had been kidnapped, had only recently regained consciousness and was still not fully alert.

He only remembered that he was shopping on the street and when he passed through an alley, several people suddenly rushed up from behind him, pushed him into the alley without saying a word, and then hit him on the back of the head with a stick, knocking him unconscious. When he opened his eyes again in a daze, he was already here, tied up like a dumpling, and hanging from the roof beam, swinging like a swing.

The young man realized he had been kidnapped and burst into tears. The two guards, annoyed by his constant whimpering, gagged him with a rag. Baal was terrified, unsure if he would leave alive.

At this moment, a man with a gloomy face walked in from outside. He glared at Baal fiercely, his teeth clenched as if he was unwilling, but after struggling for a moment, he gave up and said.

"Put this guy down... and send him out."

End of this chapter

Despite his reluctance, Muffin ultimately dared not disobey the Beggar King, the tyrant of Rat Street, and could only reluctantly prepare to hand over the hostage. Meanwhile, still bewildered, Baal saw that the bad guys who had kidnapped him had released him, yet their expressions remained fierce. The young man couldn't help but think of a terrifying possibility.

Could this be... could it be that they're going to kill the hostage?

Upon learning that the Beggar King had suddenly surrounded the hostages' location with a large force, Lu De and the others, who were waiting for nightfall to make their move, were also taken aback. No one had expected the unexpected situation to come so quickly.

According to Hume, although this Beggar King is not a good person, he can at least be classified as an evil lawful being.

As a key figure capable of participating in the formulation of the lowest-level rules, he generally wouldn't engage in double-crossing; at least, a cricket wouldn't be worth five hundred gold coins as a hostage. This would damage his "reputation" as the Beggar King in the martial arts world. What Lu De found even stranger was the other party's unusually rapid reaction, which was clearly a bit too fast.

Regardless, Lude couldn't stand by and watch Baal be taken away. If the hostage were moved to the Beggar King's territory, the rescue would be much more difficult, and the resulting commotion would likely be quite significant.

On the other side, when Beggar King Pig saw that Marfin obediently handed over the hostage Baal, he immediately ordered his men to go up and check. After confirming that everything was correct, he nodded in satisfaction and then ordered his men to put Baal into a wooden box, preparing to take him back to his lair first.

Marfen, who was outmaneuvered, thought he had been double-crossed, but in reality, the Beggar King was there on someone's behalf to "rescue" Baal. The person who asked him to rescue Baal was none other than "Faceless" Jade.

Because he secretly believed that Hugo and the Rainbow Dance Troupe were connected to the Northern Medicine God Cult, Jade planted spies in the Sky Opera House to monitor their activities while also looking for opportunities to curry favor and make connections. Therefore, when Jade's spy reported that the male lead of the Rainbow Dance Troupe had been kidnapped, Jade immediately felt that his opportunity had come.

Jade immediately sought out the Beggar King, the know-it-all, to inquire about Baal's whereabouts. In Flamewood City, two sources of information were the most reliable: one was the Snake Granny Shirley of the Silver House—she was the go-to source for any information related to the higher-ups; the other was Pig, the Beggar King of Rat Street. He had thousands of beggars spread throughout the city's streets and alleys, all acting as his eyes and ears. Whatever happened on the streets, he would always have clues.

So Jade sent a message to the Beggar King, just one sentence.

"Help me find Baal, and I'll owe you a favor."

In Yanmu City, Jade's status in the martial arts world far surpasses that of the Beggar King. The latter can barely be considered a "mid-boss," able to exert some influence among ordinary people, while Jade is a true big shot, a figure even the city lord, Duke Krud, treats with great respect.

Just by helping to find a kidnapped hostage, he could make such a big shot owe him a favor, so the Beggar King naturally had no reason to refuse.

Finding someone was no problem for the Beggar King. He found them in less than two hours after issuing the order. It turned out that the actor named Baal was in Rat Street and had been captured by a few low-life thugs.

To ensure the matter was handled flawlessly, the Beggar King personally led over a hundred henchmen to demand the person's return, forcing Mafen to hand him over obediently.

Having found Baal who was bound, the Beggar King did not release him immediately. Instead, he planned to take him back to his lair first, and then hand him over to Jade in person when he invited Jade out for dinner that evening. Only then would the matter be considered handled cleanly and efficiently, and it would also allow Jade to witness his abilities.

However, just as the Beggar King was leading a large entourage back to his "Beggar's Palace," several masked men suddenly blocked their way.

Sitting in the sedan chair carried by eight men, the Beggar King looked closely and noticed that the masked man at the head of the group had a mask pattern that looked somewhat familiar. After a moment's thought, he gasped in shock.