Work Prophet
Chapter 546 - 164 Blood Banquet

Chapter 546: Chapter 164 Blood Banquet

Even though the Imperial Forest Guard Captain vouched for them, the three still insisted they had no clue about the poison.

Thus, Duren’s face darkened, and he directly took out a small bottle from his bosom and removed the wooden stopper.

"This is the leftover poisoned wine from His Majesty’s cup. None of you three will escape this. Each of you take a sip, and if you still don’t know what poison it is, then you can just wait to die."

Upon hearing these words, the three completely panicked and even began accusing others.

Duren paid no attention to them, coldly watching them argue from the side, then even made a motion to pour out the poisoned wine from the bottle.

Finally, the merchant named Talir couldn’t bear it any longer and admitted to Duren that three days ago, a customer had inquired about poison to him, saying the lighter the taste, the stronger and better the poison.

The customer also insisted that the person who drank it must be unfailingly doomed.

Talir was the most timid among the three. Sensing that the person might commit a shocking act with the poison, and worried that a scandal would implicate him, he lied about not having the stock.

Seeing that Talir had spoken, another merchant finally confessed that he had also encountered that customer, but he truly did not have that kind of poison.

After listening, Duren shifted his gaze to the third person, the merchant nicknamed Fat Cat.

At that moment, Fat Cat’s face turned extremely unsightly.

Duren said nothing, merely pushing the bottle containing poisoned wine toward him.

Fat Cat was terrified, his face mournful as he said, "Can you really assure me that the garrison won’t arrest me?"

Duren nodded, "I can swear to you on the honor of the Hightower Family."

"The Hightower Family?" Fat Cat shivered at the name, "You, could you be the Imperial Guard Captain... Lord Duren?"

"That’s none of your business," Little Thumb chided, "Spit out everything you know right now, including where this poison came from and who bought it from you."

Fat Cat’s expression changed, seemingly making up his mind, then gritted his teeth and said, "The Hightower family has always had a good reputation, and I’ve heard that Lord Duren is also a very upright person. Since it is you asking me, I will tell you the truth.

"I bought the poison from a minor sect called the Blood Moon Association, which is said to have split from the Silver Moon Church. The current leader of the Blood Moon Association, Hirodod, was once a High Priest of the Silver Moon Church."

"But he seems to be wanted by the nobles of the Western Realm now. Anyway, the Blood Moon Association is quite adept at making poison. They once concocted a poison that killed over a hundred nobles in Duolin City and several Priests of the Silver Moon Church at one time.

"They call that stuff Blood Banquet. Recently, they might be short on money and have had some Blood Banquet brought to Lion Heart Castle for sale. But frankly, it does not sell well because the symptoms of poisoning are too obvious, not meeting most buyers’ requirements.

"But two days ago, someone came to me, stated his requirements, and offered a high price of two thousand golden lions. I knew I shouldn’t do such a thing, but that really was a large sum of money, a very large sum."

"I couldn’t resist the temptation and sold him the Blood Banquet, but I swear, if I had known that bastard intended to use this poison against our great and respected Emperor, no matter how much he offered, I would not have sold it!" Fat Cat emphasized.

Duren said nothing, only the hand on his sword turning veiny with tension, which made Fat Cat’s heart pound with fear, worried that the man before him might suddenly draw his sword and strike him.

Fortunately, the Imperial Guard Captain was a man of his word; even though he detested Fat Cat to the extreme, he ultimately did not draw his sword, but simply asked,

"Who is the buyer? Do you know what he looks like?"

"How could someone who does such things easily expose their face? He was wearing a gray cloak, fully covering his body and even his head, and also had his face covered, just like the others who come to deal with me," Fat Cat replied.

"Please try to remember anything more about that person, it’s very important," Lord Duren said emphatically.

Fat Cat’s calves were trembling; he tried hard to recall more, "That’s right, he must be a noble. The people who come to me are definitely nobles, and I say this not just because he was so generous with his money.

"But also, although I couldn’t see his face, I could see his hands. His skin was whiter than most people’s, only nobles have that kind of complexion because they don’t work under the scorching sun and run about the city."

"Anything else?"

"There’s more..." Fat Cat hesitated, glancing at the other two merchants.

Understanding his implication, Lord Duren said to the other two, "Alright, you are no longer needed here. You can leave now, but remember not to talk loosely about today’s matters."

"We understand, we understand," the two men said, feeling relieved. After thanking Lord Duren, they hurriedly left the salted fish shop.

Fat Cat then looked towards Little Thumb, but this time Lord Duren shook his head, "He’s from the defense team; he’s my assistant, and also, I need a witness to make your testimony more credible."

"Alright then," Fat Cat finally conceded, "That person might be from the Wendell family..."

At the mention of this name, Lord Duren’s gaze flickered, and he suddenly stepped forward, grabbing Fat Cat’s collar and said harshly, "You’re lying!"

"I’m not, I swear I’m not. I swear every word I’ve told you is the truth!" Fat Cat looked like he was about to cry from fear.

"You just said that people who do this kind of thing are usually very careful not to let themselves be recognized, so why are you so sure that the person is from the Wendell family?"

"I didn’t... I just said it’s possible," Fat Cat said with trepidation, "Actually, he was indeed very well disguised, and he didn’t carry anything that would give away his identity. But..."

"But when he paid, I saw the calluses on his left thumb and index finger. You know, in the Royal Capital, swordsmen who are accustomed to using their left hand for the sword are not common, and he also had calluses on his right hand.

"A swordsman that uses both hands—I first thought of the Wendell family, because it seems only they practice this way. Besides, I’ve heard that Earl Clyde’s apprentice, Ga..."

"Enough," the Imperial Guard Captain interrupted Fat Cat unceremoniously. After pausing, he added, "What you said is not bad, the Wendell family indeed has a considerable suspicion.

"Did that person say anything while buying Blood Banquet from you?"

"No, he only asked about how to use it and how to mask the smell and other routine questions. I told him, he paid me, and then he left with the poison," Fat Cat said, wiping his sweat with a handkerchief, "I’ve told you everything I know."