Monster Girl Development Master.

Mann ignored Johnson's address and replied sincerely, "I'm here to pay the ransom for Lilith Farau and Colm Farau. I just happened to be resting at that hotel. I'm not a spy."

—He hasn't even had a chance to start his espionage activities yet!

The patrol officers quickly chimed in, "Yes, yes! We only came out to investigate after hearing the noise; we weren't together!"

Zhuang Sen frowned and said, "Brother-in-law, you've gone too far. You're still keeping it from me at a time like this. Lilith told me that these guys are spies hired by your Falao family, right? Fine, since you won't tell me properly, then I'll leave it to you, Dantalian."

Dantalian smiled and nodded: "Loris, sisters, it's time to show the real skills."

“Of course, but are you worried that the Earl will think you’re too vicious if you don’t go yourself?” Loris casually picked up a branding iron with a red-hot tip and walked towards Sister Mary. The other vengeful nuns also let out silvery laughter, each grabbing their favorite instruments of torture.

Fire tongs, whips, hammers, silver needles... each one has their own unique weapon and secret techniques, which must surely drive the spies to madness with pleasure!

The spies' expressions changed rapidly, with the patrolling nuns looking the most grim. They were well aware of the torture techniques used by the Vengeful Sisters, as they themselves knew them! It was an unbearable torture, a form of brutal interrogation that the nuns had learned but rarely used, employing only when necessary—such as interrogating kidnappers about their hideouts.

"Sister Mary, my skills in torture are not very good. If I poke in the wrong places, please forgive me."

Loris waved the fire tongs in her hand, sometimes pointing at Sister Mary's chest, sometimes at her private parts below her abdomen... The scalding heat transmitted through the air and fabric, making Sister Mary's mind automatically conjure up images of charred flesh.

"I'll talk! Don't hit me!!!"

Sister Mary chose to slide to her knees.

Zhuang Sen, who was braiding Dantalian's hair, looked up, somewhat surprised: "I didn't expect Sister Mary to be such a remarkable person. But how can we trust you without having been tortured?"

Sister Mary gave a smile that was even more painful than bitterness: "Lord Johnson, Earl Johnson, I am well aware of the Church's methods of torture, and I certainly cannot withstand them, so I think it is better not to waste your precious time and my precious life."

The pride of those with a bloodline means that even in this state, they can still confidently say that their lives are precious... It's not that life isn't precious, but saying it like that at this moment feels a bit strange.

Zhuang Sen shook his head, ignoring that point: "So, what are you going to say?"

The author says:

作者的话：进度更新：月票22/50，催更票28/50，打赏3900/5000

Chapter 191: Torture

Sister Mary slid down to her knees very thoroughly, and in response to Zhuang Sen's question, she immediately dropped the most important information: "Patriarch Yelena and Prince Grean have joined forces, which is why she sent us to the territory of Leon to monitor you closely and determine whether you can still be won over. As for dealing with Bishop Rosa and Priestess Dantalian, that is secondary."

"Loris," Zhuang Sen called out. The priestess put down the branding iron, but her cold expression showed that she hadn't forgotten the slander and rumors she'd been told. Sister Mary breathed a sigh of relief and looked at Zhuang Sen ingratiatingly, ignoring the condemnation and curses of her other companions.

Sister Mary saw things very clearly. Being scolded wouldn't hurt her, but being tortured would hurt her more than just a piece of flesh.

Seeing this amusing scene, Zhuang Sen noticed that only the men among them spoke up to condemn and insult Sister Mary, while the other nuns remained silent, clearly understanding Sister Mary's choice.

So, these men weren't actually with them? He'd thought Patriarch Yelena had implemented some kind of church reform, allowing women with gender dysphoria to join the church; turns out he was overthinking it.

But if that's the case, whose people are these men?

Sister Mary, who had been keeping a close eye on Zhuang Sen, noticed his gaze and guessed his doubts. She quickly explained, "Your Excellency, they are Prince Grean's men. Although they are all of low bloodline, they are Prince Grean's confidants. They came here to assess whether you are still a possibility to win over Prince Grean, as well as the cost and methods of doing so."

As soon as Sister Mary uttered these words, the insults from the group intensified, as if they had been proven right. However, Zhuang Sen did not believe it so easily, but instead waved his hand lightly: "Sisters, it seems these gentlemen are quite unconvinced."

The vengeful nuns chuckled. They were all local nuns from Leon Territory who supported Dantalian and Johnson, and they had no liking for the patrolling nuns. Naturally, they had no sympathy or pity for these suspected instigators and the mastermind behind the scenes, Grean's confidants. After Johnson gave the order, they immediately used their unique techniques on them.

A red-hot branding iron is pressed into the groin, pressing luxurious embroidered fabric deep into the flesh to create an imprint; a sharp, slit-headed hammer gently strikes from the toes, each strike precisely shattering bone and wedging the toenail into the slit, which is then pulled out by the root when lifted; a silver needle, several centimeters long, slides through the fabric several times under the groin, forcing a bulge before being plunged in, precisely piercing the eye through the fabric… This one is more delicate, but don't worry if you don't succeed; you'll eventually succeed with a few more tries.

Zhuang Sen was amazed by the vengeful nuns' superb memories, but Dantalian calmly touched Zhuang Sen's smooth face: "This is just the appetizer, my dear. There are still bee stings, rat bites, snake walks... these advanced moves haven't been shown yet. I hope these gentlemen can hold on and let you enjoy them all, my dear."

This woman is insane! She's completely insane! And Zhuang Sen is insane too!!!

The leader of this group of Grean's trusted men, the middle-aged man who had previously tried to use his status as the King of the Capital to oppose Zhuang Sen but was humiliated by Celine, was on the verge of a mental breakdown. Feeling the eighth silver needle piercing his groin, he felt his brain tremble and his body scream!

These people weren't interrogating them at all; they had no intention of getting information. They were purely torturing them! They didn't even say what they wanted to ask!

The ninth silver needle was finally inserted in the right spot.

The vengeful nun in charge of the middle-aged man wiped the fine sweat from her forehead, her face showing a relieved expression. She gave Loris and Dantalian a clear, embarrassed, innocent smile.

Dantalian smiled and nodded: "Although there are a few, it's because there aren't enough seats, so it's not your fault."

Great!

The vengeful nun excitedly raised her hand and picked up the pointed hammer. The middle-aged man had already witnessed the effects of this thing on others, and his extremities were immediately filled with intense phantom pain. The simple, innocent, and joyful smile on the vengeful nun's face, like that of a child playing with an insect, became the last straw that broke his heart.

"I'll talk! I'll tell you everything!! Go ahead and ask me!"

If you have to ask them to tell you, then they haven't broken down yet!

Zhuang Sen frowned slightly and gestured with his chin toward the nun who was looking over. Immediately, the regret and lingering satisfaction on the nun's face were replaced by excitement and joy, followed by another round of screams.

After three rounds of this, when the vengeful nun brought out a large, grayish rat with glowing green eyes, preparing to put it into their clothes, Grean's confidants finally completely broke down.

“I’ll tell you everything. I killed my brother. Prince Grean funded me. Yes, we were ordered by Prince Grean to judge Johnson Leon…”

Disrespectful to the Earl, add a stroke.

A rat, fed only once a week, scurried into a buffet restaurant full of fresh, tender meat. Its first bite was of a large sausage that had been secured with silver needles, and it began to chew it with relish.

Attempting to feign madness and stall for time by spouting nonsense, Grean's henchmen let out a bloodcurdling scream that sent chills down Zhuang Sen's spine. The effect was remarkable; the eyes of Grean's henchmen instantly cleared, showing no trace of their madness, and they all looked at the middle-aged man: "Lord John! Say something!"

"Yes! All the intelligence is with you! And the mission was personally assigned to you by Lord Grean!"

Under the earnest persuasion of his subordinates, the middle-aged man with the unusual name finally accepted reality: "Sister Mary is right. There is another point she may not know, but the Falau family has always been a loyal supporter of His Highness the Prince. So after we learned that there was a conflict between Leon Territory and Falau Territory, we tried to provide some support to Falau Territory. But according to His Highness the Prince's orders, we hope to find a way to reconcile the Leon family and the Falau family... For example, by controlling the rapidly developing Church of Revenge to influence Lord Johnson."

Although middle-aged John spoke politely and subtly, upon closer examination, it was actually because the Farau family had long been one of their own, so they wanted to force Johnson to stop the war. Unfortunately, they did not expect that the local Fury Church had no manners whatsoever and did not give them any face, and Johnson was completely devoid of martial ethics.

Johnson nodded in satisfaction: "See, John, aren't we having a very pleasant conversation? ...However, Mann, you're not giving me a very good impression right now, are you?"

Chapter 192: Ransom Plus Three

Mann Farau was in good condition; aside from being frightened by the vengeful nuns' superb skills, he was unharmed. However, meeting Zhuang Sen's imposing gaze, he knew that if he wanted to remain unscathed, he could no longer afford to be complacent.

So he immediately said, “My lord, what I just said about ransoming prisoners is true. However, I do indeed have the duty of a spy. I was just discussing the specific situation and methods with Lord John and Lady Mary. Their opinions have benefited me greatly. However, before I could implement it, you, my lord, brilliantly discovered it and arrested me on the spot. If you don’t believe me, there should be some of the funds I brought with me in the inn for espionage activities. As for the ransom, it was too large to bring… Sigh.”

After being forcibly given poison and weakened, such a long speech was quite a burden for Mann. Fortunately, Zhuang Sen seemed quite satisfied with his speech and did not signal the nun in front of him, who was looking on expectantly, to make a move.

Thanks be to the gods, thanks be to our ancestors.

Johnson patted Dantalian, and the voluptuous nun carried him to Mann Farau: "So, what about Prince Grean?"

“Lord John is right, but not entirely right.” Mann Farau’s forehead began to sweat, but fortunately he was already drenched in sweat, so it was not obvious that there was a problem. “The Farau family maintains close ties with many nobles, just like with the Leon family, so we do not absolutely support Prince Grean. We also support Princess Serafina and Princess Celine. Moreover, Lord John’s actions this time were actually proposed by them first, and they did not inform us of their actions against the church, at least I am not aware of it.”

Mann Farrau was clearly more eloquent. In his speech, he indicated that the Farrau family could also support the princess faction supported by Johnson, shifted the blame for the inspector's matter to Grean's confidant, and finally implied that his status in the Farrau family was average and that he was not of much value to interrogate. He might even be planning to evoke Johnson's pity, since Johnson used to be of similar status to him in the Farrau family, but Johnson turned the tables in just a few months.

Unfortunately, Johnson didn't give him his wish. He didn't even bother to investigate the truth of Johnson's claims. Instead, John, who was standing nearby, shouted in a fit of rage and fear, "You're talking nonsense!! Lord Johnson! This is slander! He's deliberately trying to divert your attention!!"

Zhuang Sen raised his hand and pressed down, and Loris interrupted John's speech with a branding iron. Then Zhuang Sen looked at Mann and said leisurely, "Okay, but let's not worry about that for now. You said you did have a mission to redeem Lilith Farau and Colm Farau, so what about the ransom I'm asking for?"

Mann Farau hesitated for about half a second before making his decision amidst John's screams: "Lord Zhuangsen, I've stored the ransom in the Farau family's safe house in River Night Village outside Star Night City. It's guarded by two bloodline users who have undergone a second awakening. Their bloodlines are [Screaming Chicken] and [Crimson Hound]. After all, as you know, that sum of money is simply too large to carry around or leave lying around."

“Very good.” Zhuang Sen rubbed his hands together. Two hundred thousand gold coins was a considerable sum for him now, and being able to get something for free was naturally a pleasant thing. “Put Mr. Mann down. Let’s go get my gold coins back first, and then we can talk in detail… As for the rest, I’ll leave it to you, Priestess Loris.”

Loris smiled and nodded, raising the silver needles in her hand—well, her technique was "a little worse" than that vengeful nun from before. Even though Lord John's needles were quite ordinary, it still took a dozen or so needles to find the exact spot.

I wish her good luck.

……

With Mann Farau's cooperation, the ransom was quickly found, and the [Screaming Chicken] and [Crimson Hound] guarding it offered absolutely no resistance to Lydia and Dantalian. Of course, their excuse was for the safety of the captured Lord Mann Farau; after all, although they shared the same surname, there were significant differences between Faraus.

So the number of prisoners increased by two.

Mann Farau also realized something was wrong. He had paid the money, but not only did he not see Colm Farau and Lilith Farau, but how come they were still arrested?

Zhuang Sen, riding his docile mare, looked at Mann Farrau, who was more than a head taller than him, with innocent, large eyes: "Mr. Mann, when did this become ransom? Isn't this compensation you're paying for your espionage? Oh, right, because of your espionage, you've been captured by me now. But being merciful, I'm allowing you to write back to the Farrau family to report the situation. Remember to make it clear that you also want a ransom of 100,000 gold coins, plus a daily allowance of 1,000 gold coins. As for these two..."

The screaming chicken hurriedly said, "Sir, sir, we're really worthless, maybe five thousand gold coins at most."

Zhuang Sen shook his head slightly: "I think you should each be worth 50,000 gold coins."

The Crimson Hound, who had been silent, couldn't help but retort after hearing this: "My lord, we are just a branch of the Farau family, and our bloodline is not superior. Our family is not wealthy either, and it is impossible for us to come up with so much money."

Zhuang Sen remained calm and composed: "No matter how much the ransom is, I will give you 20% of it."

Ah this...

The screaming chicken's expression turned serious: "My lord, I think that as second-level bloodline users who have undergone a second awakening, we should be worth at least 80,000 gold coins."

The Crimson Hound glared angrily at its companion, about to reprimand it, when it heard Zhuang Sen's voice rang out: "If you can't get a ransom of more than 50,000 per person, then you'd better prepare to work as hard as Colm to make money."

Colm?

Mann and his men certainly knew this high-ranking family member, but what did that have to do with the ransom?

They found out very quickly.

After being led to a secluded courtyard within the Leon estate, they saw Colm, naked and muscular, as well as countless women and a small number of men lined up from the rooms to the courtyard gate, and medicine bottles scattered all over the ground, along with dried but persistent dampness.

The men and women in line also saw them.

"Lord Zhuang Sen, they also..."

Zhuang Sen, who rarely walked on his own, waved his hand: "Not yet, but let me introduce you. This is Count Olco Farau's eldest son, Mann Farau, and these two are Screaming Chicken and Crimson Hound..."

Zhuang Sen looked meaningfully at Mann and the other two, who all wore expressions of resignation and pleaded with Zhuang Sen, "Sir, let's write the letter now!!"

The author says:

作者的话：怎么感觉推剧情反而看的人少，头秃了。进度更新：月票31/50，催更票37/50，打赏4000/5000

Chapter 193: The King's Secret Treasure

Johnson granted Mann Farau, Screaming Chicken, and Crimson Hound's request and kindly allowed them to stay and keep Colm company, as long as they didn't interfere with Colm's work. However, having drunk the weakening potion, they didn't have the ability to interfere anyway. In short, he hoped they and Colm would have a good time.

As for Johnson himself, he reunited with Dantalian and the others outside the door and returned to the vibrant, thriving dungeon of Leon Manor.

As soon as he was carried inside by Dantalian, the ragged Sister Mary immediately and eagerly approached Johnson, saying, "My lord! Merciful lord! I really told you everything!"

Zhuang Sen sighed regretfully: "Really? Then why don't I know why Yelena supports Gregorian? Could it be that she has taken a liking to Prince Gregorian? But even so, I don't think Prince Gregorian would be interested in an old lady like her... especially since she's already starting to look old."

Sister Mary was momentarily speechless. She had prepared her response, but the pain throughout her body made it difficult for her to think coherently, and after the brief pause, it was too late even if she remembered.

Zhuang Sen casually toyed with Dantalian's smooth flaxen hair, saying, "To be honest, I have no interest in the struggle between princes and princesses. After all, His Majesty the King can live for at least several decades more. I really don't understand why you're in such a hurry to provoke me. I hate stupid people who pick fights for no reason. So, do you have any last words?"

Johnson's tone was ordinary, but precisely because of this, combined with the dungeon environment, the patrolling nuns and Grean's confidants, already under torture, immediately broke down their last fragile defenses.

They were certain that Johnson was capable of killing them all; after all, he was a madman who dared to publicly kill even his own father. They even considered Mann Farrar, who had just left with Johnson and hadn't returned, as dead. In this immense fear, they began to incoherently reveal various details, even mentioning things like bedwetting as children. Their state was somewhat similar to the nun who had feigned madness earlier, but the vengeful nuns could judge the state of those being interrogated and determine whether it was a genuine breakdown or a feigned one.

However, there wasn't any really exciting news, but I did hear a lot of gossip, such as Mr. John supposedly selling himself to Prince Graeme? While it's true that many nobles are homosexual, it's a bit much for an heir to do this, since children are an important family asset, and homosexuals can't have children.

Zhuang Sen listened patiently for a while, then clapped his hands: "Very good, it seems everyone is ready. Don't worry, I will remember your last words and engrave them on your tombstones."

The chaos and noise vanished instantly, leaving only a deathly silence. Their lips were still moving, but they couldn't utter a sound. Fear had robbed them of control over their voices.

No, why? They told us everything, so why kill them? They're capable of anything—

Some people felt resentful, while others felt indignant. These were all elite individuals, and of course, there were some tough guys among them. But even the toughest bones couldn't withstand the double attack of steel and poison—torture, of course. Truth serum, truth-telling water, and the like had to be arranged. These kinds of magical potions were best-selling products.