Mans also saw a clue at this moment and asked Marco, "My Lord! Are they doing this to assassinate you? But?"
Marco gradually suppressed his anger, his cold eyes fixed on Qiao Man, and he slowly said, "But! Isn't he the victim? Right!"
"Actually, I thought so at first, but ever since Wolf Fang reported to me the first time he went to find his accomplices, I started to suspect him!"
Then Marco told him all his suspicions and guesses. Many of Qiao Man's actions at the beginning seemed too calm to Marco.
Moreover, every time he spoke to Marco, he would stare blankly at certain places. At first, Marco thought he was scared, but after careful consideration, he realized that his purpose in doing so was to prevent Marco from noticing anything.
And when Qiao Man met his accomplices for the first time, he didn't know that he had been monitored, which became the beginning of his exposure.
According to Wolf Fang, they were initially talking on equal terms. But after Mans and his people surrounded the small building, Qiao Man was suddenly in a hostage situation.
Marco then pointed out that to clear his name, Qiao Man performed twice in front of Mans. The first time was when he bravely snatched the torch, demonstrating his courage and the fact that he was being coerced.
Before entering the door the second time, he gave instructions and spoke of his sister's tragic fate, completely earning Mans's trust. At the same time, he used false information to send away all the city guard soldiers.
Speaking of this, Marco couldn't help but admire this guy. Every step of the plan was meticulously planned, not at all like a spur-of-the-moment decision.
Marco was thinking that if he hadn't always had Wolf Fang acting as a remote listening device, he might have really fallen here today.
At this moment, Qiao Man looked at Marco with a venomous expression and said unwillingly, "How did you determine that our final target was you?"
Marco looked at his eyes, filled with violence and madness. He finally understood why this guy dared not look him in the eye. He shook his head and said:
"Because I know your master, Roose Bolton, very well. He is a cautious man and wouldn't fight a battle he isn't prepared for."
He was also a greedy man. He wouldn't allow anyone to destroy this already-built castle; it was built with countless Gold Dragons.
"Hmph!"
Qiao Man snorted coldly, no longer speaking, as if she had accepted her fate.
Marco then instructed Mans and the others, "Arrest these fellows first. Release a raven and have your cousin, Henk, return quickly. I need to get some information from their mouths!"
Three days later, a huge viewing platform was built on an open space in front of the castle's canyon. Five assassins of Blood Hand were tied to five massive pillars.
Their clothes were torn and stained with blood, yet they had no visible wounds.
At this moment, they all wore blank expressions, without any pretense, because they had endured a terrifying ordeal over the past three days.
In Marco's hands, death had become a luxury. Their psychological defenses crumbled bit by bit under the dual torture of mind and body, and they revealed everything they knew.
And today was the day they would receive their final judgment. They desperately wanted to die, but Marco had said he would return the little girl's suffering to them tenfold, a hundredfold.
So they were both eager and afraid. After waiting for a long time without anything happening, they had become numb.
At this moment, the area around the wooden platform was packed with people. The commoners had already learned what had happened from the city guard soldiers.
Originally, Qiao Man and the others were supposed to be washed by the stone array, but the city guard captain, Mans, had stopped them beforehand, saying that the Lord would personally judge them.
A little while later, Marco, Henk, and the others walked onto the viewing platform. Marco was sitting on a wooden chair.
Sas Ting walked forward and shouted, "Silence!"
His booming voice instantly silenced the bustling crowd. Seeing that everyone had quieted down, Sas Ting shouted again, "Now, let the Bloodstone Elder read the judgment!"
The Bloodstone Elder slowly walked forward. Facing so many people for the first time made him seem a little nervous, but he was, after all, a man who had held a high position for a long time, and he quickly adapted to the situation.
So, he cleared his throat and said, "Ahem! These five people in Griffon Fortress are suspected of arson, murder, rape, and abuse... The circumstances are extremely heinous. According to the laws of Griffon Fortress, these five people are now sentenced to death, and the evidence will be permanently preserved! Execute immediately!"
"Human Candle! Human Candle!..."
After hearing the verdict, the crowd below cheered, shouting the word "Human Candle" loudly.
"Human Candle" was a form of punishment invented by Henk. The specific method was to use a burlap sack soaked in whale oil to bind the lower body of the offender and then set it on fire! Burning the offender's body!
Because whale oil burns relatively slowly, it would gradually burn up the offender's body, until the offender's lower body was completely cooked. During this process, the offender would watch themselves being burned bit by bit.
Those with a poor mentality would be directly scared to death, and the constant threat of death also kept the offender's nerves tense. Their bodies would be burned until death!
Since Griffon Fortress conquered Skagos Island, this punishment had only been used twice. So, the crowd, who loved to watch a spectacle, were all waiting to see these offenders be lit.
After watching the prisoners being punished, Marco returned to the castle. This operation not only brought him resources but also three portions of Wildfire.
After Caspar-Ed's experiments, Marco abandoned his plan to turn the Wildfire into Molotov cocktails. The substance was simply too dangerous, reacting violently and igniting with even the slightest spark.
Furthermore, and quite strangely, when mixed with whale oil, the Wildfire would not burn. This made Marco quite despondent. He had been hoping to return a gift to Roose Bolton with his improved Molotov cocktails.
This time, Marco also gathered a lot of useful intelligence from Qiao Man and the others. The legendary "Leech Breeder," Lord Roose Bolton, planned to send a force to eliminate Griffon Fortress after the spring thaw.
His stated reason for sending troops was to eliminate the pirates who had been raiding his merchant ships, hence the deployment westward.
Rickard Karstark, the Marquis of House Karstark in The North, had even contributed two paddle warships for Bolton's use. This force currently seemed to be stationed at a dock within House Karstark's territory.
Although no one liked having another person's troops on their land, the threat of pirates had always affected their family's business.
Now that the Dreadfort had taken the lead, Rickard Karstark was quite pleased. Two ships in exchange for a period of peace and quiet seemed like a very worthwhile trade to him.
This time, Roose Bolton organized a force of nearly 500 men, who were currently undergoing naval combat training. The assassins sent to kill Marco came from a stronghold in Seal Bay.
Their unit's code name was "Blood Hand." Lord Roose Bolton of the Dreadfort had always wanted to establish a unit similar to the "Winter Wolf Army." (Also known as the Winter Wolf Force, a famous cavalry unit in the history of The North.)
However, he was more ambitious. He wanted a unit that excelled in both horse riding and sailing, ruthless and fearless, to bring him victory and wealth.
To solve the problem once and for all, Roose Bolton secretly gathered the "Blood Hand" unit, which was currently undergoing training, in a place unknown to Marco. He planned to use this unit for a real-world exercise.
Rickard Karstark, the Lord of House Karstark, probably wouldn't have dreamed that the Roose Bolton he was supporting was actually the financial backer behind those pirates.
Thinking about the enemies that might appear after the spring, Marco desperately wanted to obtain a ship. Fortunately, the system was very considerate and provided him with a way to get one.
That was the adventure spell "Sarah's Boat" in the Level 2 Magic Guild. In the game, it could help the hero summon a ship at the seaside. He just didn't know what it would become after coming to this world!
After thinking about this, Marco immediately opened his interface.
Hero Level: Level 4
Hero Skills: Basic Offense, Advanced Leadership, Diplomacy... (omitted)
Special Abilities: King's Demeanor, Comprehend All Things.
Owned Buildings: Town Hall, Militia Barracks, Blacksmith, Fortress, Tavern, Market, Archer Tower, Barracks, Griffon Tower... (omitted)
Building Level: Level 8
Owned Troops: Thugs 160, Archers 9, Footmen 3, Griffins 2, Priest 1, Unicorn 1, Peasants... (omitted).
Owned Resources: Gold 3190, Wood 26, Ore 31, Crystal 6, Mercury 1, Gems 6, Sulfur 6.
Marco finished looking at the resource list, then took a pouch of gold coins from a nearby chest. This was treasure Marco had dug up two days prior, following a treasure map.
The system interface immediately popped up as soon as he took the item out of his pocket.
"Ding! Congratulations to the host for finding a basic treasure, the Endless Golden Pocket (fake). Uses remaining: 4/4. Can accumulate 2000 gold. Would you like to exchange?"
Marco clicked yes, and his gold resources finally reached 5000.
Then, Marco opened the building sequence and selected the level two magic guild building sequence.
Hearing the sound of buildings rising outside the castle, Marco was filled with excitement. He quickly pushed open the door to his office and ran towards the newly built level two magic guild. This time, the magic would all be level two magic!
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