I created the myth of the Great Old Ones.

Lu Ban couldn't help but praise.

"I agree."

Shea, who was eating a sandwich, spoke indistinctly with something in her mouth.

"Never mind, it's really not convenient for you anyway."

Lu Ban is still very considerate.

Moreover, he felt that the killer was in a hurry to hide himself, which was why he killed him yesterday.

With Stone around today, they'll probably tone it down a bit for Lu Ban's sake.

Besides, if the three of them were together and the other side launched an attack, they might all be wiped out. Now that they are hiding, Stone will also be concerned about the possibility of being exposed.

Even if the murderer escapes, if the Catania family finds out about Stone's actions, his dream of becoming the family godfather will be dashed.

With this in mind, Lu Ban stayed at the Trist Detective Agency, waiting for Stone's arrival.

Ding-dong-

Just after ten o'clock, Lu Ban heard the doorbell ring.

He looked through the peephole and saw Stone and a thug.

The big golden retriever followed Stone, its tongue lolling out.

Lu Ban opened the door and let the two people and the dog in.

"Old Cui and the others have gone to investigate new leads and are not here for the time being."

Lu Ban made up a story on the spot. He glanced at the thug, who was plain-looking but tall.

"A new lead?"

Stone's eyes lit up, and he had one of his henchmen bring out a file folder.

"This is the Knife Gang's file. I've looked through some of it myself. The call girl who died was the woman of Tucker, the leader of the Knife Gang."

Stone handed the file folder to Lu Ban as he spoke.

Lu Ban took the file without opening it.

"Stone."

He called out the other person's real name.

You've been tricked.

Chapter 413 You've Been Fooled

You've been tricked.

Upon hearing Lu Ban's words, Stone's expression paused.

What are you saying?

“I mean, you’ve been tricked. You can’t possibly take over the Catania family. You’ve just been used, by that godfather.”

Lu Ban said slowly and deliberately.

The thug standing behind Stone looked over, staring at Lu Ban, and reached into the inside pocket of his shirt, under his armpit—the spot where he kept his gun.

I don't understand what you mean.

Stone remained motionless, his emotions from moments before now completely suppressed. His eyes, devoid of light, were like deep, still lakes, capable of absorbing all light.

"Mr. Corneán may have told you something like that his children are all useless and he hopes that the family can have a better future. So he wants to break the tradition of bloodline continuation and let the truly capable people take the lead of the family."

Lu Ban and Stone looked at each other, and he said.

"So it seems he condoned your actions in eliminating members of the Catania family, including his own daughter. In fact, this was all orchestrated by him. Madame Martina was clearly not that important to the family."

Stone remained silent. The thugs behind him had already drawn their pistols, but instead of aiming at Lu Ban, they were on guard against their surroundings.

"He wants you to believe that you can become the godfather of the family. He does appreciate your abilities and needs them. To bring someone to their full potential, you need to convince him that his efforts will pay off. He sees that you are not someone who is content to be just a 'strategist.' Therefore, for the benefit of his family and his son, Mr. Corneón uses you to eliminate other gangs and allow the Catania family to unify the underworld."

Lu Ban said that these were certainly not what he was thinking.

Lu Ban is a ruthless repeater.

This is what Drizzt thought of after hearing what Lu Ban said.

"The first few people were fine, but things started to go wrong when Mrs. Martina died."

"It's illogical for Lady Martina to be alone in the room under these circumstances. She's a sociable person, a socialite, and should be enjoying socializing at such a banquet. Even if she were to pay Trist, she wouldn't stay in the room alone for so long. I think she probably received orders from her father to stay in the room at that time."

"Thinking about this, the reason why that godfather would kill his own daughter becomes very clear."

“You’re completely wrong. Your father cares about every one of his children.”

Upon hearing Lu Ban's words, Stone suddenly smiled.

"Why don't you tell me how I killed Martina and those people?"

"The shootout between the Sharp Knife Gang and the Catania family resulted in the death of a young girl. The girl had a live-in partner who survived and sought revenge. In some instances, he mutated into a monster, gaining the power to make people bloom with glass flowers."

As Lu Ban spoke, he glanced at the thug.

“You convinced him, told him there were better ways to retaliate against the Catania family, better ways to torture his enemies.”

“He killed Flora because she had bullied the girl, and perhaps because of Flora’s betrayal, the Catania family was able to find the Knife Gang’s weakest point and launch an attack. That’s why, even though she was the woman of the Knife Gang leader Tucker, she wasn’t completely wiped out by the Catania family, but instead went to Dr. House for treatment.”

"He killed Dr. House because he had assaulted the girl by selling drugs and then pretended to be a good person, and also because Dr. House had connections with the Catania family and had helped this gang."

"He killed McKee, a relative of the Catania family, who had escaped punishment, and was the direct murderer of the girl."

"He killed Madame Martina, the youngest daughter of the Catania family godfather, and he considered this the true beginning of his revenge."

"He also tried to kill me, but unfortunately even the doctor said I was in good health, so he didn't succeed."

"You may not know this, but he was also planning to kill you in the end because he already knew that you were the culprit who caused the Catania family's expansion and led to the conflict with the Sharp Knife Gang. This was also the work of that Godfather. When everything is settled, you will die at the Glass Flower, and this case will become an unsolved mystery because one of the murderers has become a victim."

After speaking, Lu Ban materialized his "last words" in his hand. Neither Stone nor the thugs could see the illusory revolver.

Lu Ban fired a shot at the thug without hesitation.

boom--

The thug collapsed instantly, his whole body convulsing. The delirious murmurs of the great being robbed him of all consciousness in an instant.

Seeing this, Stone sighed.

"You're mostly right, but unfortunately, there's one problem."

As Stone spoke, Lu Ban sensed a familiar sense of threat.

The feeling was like being watched by a terrifying hunter, which sent chills down your spine.

"He was not the assassin."

Stone said with a half-smile.

"That is it."

Lu Ban's gaze fell on the docile golden retriever.

The next moment, his internal organs were dragged out by a tremendous force. The fragments of flesh, organs, and bones twisted, rotated, and solidified, forming a giant glass flower.

However, this time, the glass flower did not burst forth. Instead, it was forcibly suppressed by some force, and several small footprints appeared on Lu Ban's chest, gently but firmly suppressing the changes.

Even so, a large amount of blood flowed from Lu Ban's face, and he collapsed to the ground with a thud.

The golden retriever's fur turned multicolored, like melted chocolate, transforming into a mud-like form. Its entire body was composed of multicolored black, emitting a foul stench. The slimy mud clung to Lu Ban's body, shimmering in the sunlight.

"Thank you for your hard work, Liz."

Stone's expression was complex, a mixture of sadness and self-mockery.

The mud-like monster transformed again into a golden retriever, nuzzling Stone affectionately.

"He might come back to life, and we need to handle it properly."

Stone took the pistol from the thug lying on the ground, pointed it at Lu Ban's head, and prepared to pull the trigger.

The next moment, the floor beneath his feet suddenly expanded.

bang——

Wood chips flew everywhere, and the golden retriever quickly transformed into a mud-like monster, enveloping Stone and blocking the impact.

Amid the explosion, a figure clad in armor leaped up.

"Damn it, my house!"

Drizzt's voice then rang out; he was downstairs, looking up at the building.

"Kill her."

Stone showed no mercy. He barked, and the golden retriever that had turned into mud glanced at Sia.

Sia felt her internal organs churning, as if some force was trying to pull them out and sculpt them into that beautiful glass flower.

But the power was blocked; a magical barrier held back the curse, causing the golden-haired dog to whimper.

Seeing this, Stone didn't hesitate and immediately ran away with the golden retriever.

For them, there are still things they really need to do.

Chapter 414 Silt

Seeing this, Xia hurriedly chased after them.

At the same time, he opened his palm and condensed a spell.

whoosh-

An invisible, formless airball slowly drifted towards the colorful black silt, yet it contained immense power.

Mystra's Void Burst!

bang——

As soon as the air balloon touched the door frame, it exploded, blasting a large hole through the wall. Debris flew everywhere, some of it embedding itself in the wall on the other side.