NOVPUBChapter 944: 294. Winning on three fronts_4
Let’s take another look at Hadley Grant.
At the same time the rock bone magician lost his power to cast, the magic stone locks on Hadley’s body crumbled and dissolved into pale light points that disappeared into the air.
“Don’t move, Paul Stone, you are under arrest for ‘violent coercion.’ Put down your magic wand.”
The figure of Noland Lee appeared out of thin air behind the rock bone magician.
He rotated the Sword of Silence in his hands, using the blade to cut into Paul Stone’s stone body, producing a chilling “crackle and crunch.”
Paul Stone seemed to have lost all sense of pain, showing no signs of convulsing in agony, but the ‘Silent power’ from the Sword of Silence firmly suppressed his ability to resist.
...
“Clang.”
Paul Stone loosened his right hand, letting the magic wand fall freely, hanging above the floor.
Noland nodded at Hadley saying:
“You’ve worked hard, Hadley. Could you tidy up the cabin, I’m sorry for the mess.”
Hadley looked at the Elixirs in his hand, the traces of blood moving within the potion.
He capped the bottle and threw the potion out of the window, feeling as if a burden was lifted, and took a long sigh of relief, saying:
“Phew… it’s good that you came just in time, I almost thought I was going to be fish food here.”
Hadley took out his magic wand, summoned a water stream, and washed away the blood inside the cabin.
He used the water stream to sweep up the contaminated items and sent them all out of the boat, then used the body bag Noland gave him to seal the headless corpse.
After doing all this, he tactfully left the control room, not lingering to watch Noland’s actions.
Noland fixed the Sword of Silence into Paul Stone’s body and moved in front of him:
“Listen carefully to what I’m saying, Paul Stone. We Silent Mages are born Enforcement Wizards not because our moral standards or awareness of the law far exceed yours, but because we possess the power to crush you, and we voluntarily submit to the restraint of order.”
Noland saw panic in Paul Stone’s gray eyes:
“Ditucar Fegan is dead, and you’re still alive. This isn’t the result of me intentionally holding back. As a rock bone wizard with enforcement authority, you privately destroyed Hadley’s lawful facilities, boarded his magic yacht intrusively, and forced him through violent means. According to Ulnas Circle Rule No. 2, I’ll hand you over to the local Magic Institution for trial. After you’re stripped of your enforcement powers, the real punishment will descend.”
Paul Stone couldn’t cast spells.
He tried to twist his body, but the object embedded in him was stuck at the critical point of his lumbar spine.
“Crack, crack, crack…” The Sword of Silence rubbed against his stone vertebral column a few times.
After several attempts, Paul Stone couldn’t twist his waist or move his legs, he could at most let his raised right hand drop to his side.
He said in a muffled voice:
“Is there room for negotiation?”
“Of course there is,” Noland waved his hand:
“Otherwise you would have already been dead.”
Paul Stone said: 𝒏𝒐𝒗𝒑𝒖𝒃.𝙘𝒐𝒎
“Name your terms.”
Noland crossed his arms, stroking his chin as he spoke:
“Do you know what will happen after I send you to the Deep Sea Branch? ‘Laron Rockbone’ will be questioned by the Wizard Enforcement Department, even punished. The conspiracy you and the Pangula Family plotted against the Deep Sea Branch will also be exposed before the Chief Sorcerers of the Wizard Council.”
Paul Stone’s eyes flickered, tinged with regret.
Noland scoffed:
“You made a serious mistake, understand? You and your companions, as well the rock bone pillar behind you, underestimated my strength, thinking I’m just a small fry with Sixth ring fighting capability. You shouldn’t have come just with these few people to capture me, Paul Stone. ‘Laron Rockbone’s’ plot will fail because of your slight move. And you will become the sinner of ‘Laron Rockbone,’ cast into Brocken Rock Prison.”
Noland paused, his scoff turning more pronounced:
“Even if you are the junior of another rock bone pillar and were fortunate enough to serve as a Rock Bone Enforcer, you still won’t escape this predicament.”
“How could you know so much about us…” Paul Stone was frightened and felt as exposed as if he had been stripped of his clothes.
Noland stood with his hands on his hips, speaking with ease:
“Of course, we ‘Silent Maiden’ know of your covert activities. We are born Enforcement Wizards, while you represent the breeding ground for evil, our sustenance. Whether we consume you or not isn’t your decision to make, but our right.”
Paul Stone struggled to “swallow,” his stone throat twitched:
“What do you want me to do? Persuade Dilise Stone to give up on the non-metallic ore of the Deep Sea Branch? No, that’s impossible. The non-metallic ore reserves of the Suman Archipelago are so vast, and although it’s difficult to mine, ‘Laron Rockbone’ would never give up.”
Noland raised his hands, straightening the other’s collar and clothes:
“No, no, no, Paul Stone, I’m aware of ‘Laron Rockbone’s’ determination. What I mean to say is, the reserves of non-metallic ore here in the Suman Archipelago are large enough that we don’t need to have a conflict over it. We ‘Silent Witch’ can become very good friends with ‘Laron Rockbone’.”
Confusion flashed through Paul Stone’s eyes, clearly not quite grasping Noland’s meaning.
Noland gave him time to think.
Two minutes later, Paul Stone came to his senses:
“Are you saying that those who provided the Nonmetal Mineral Distribution Map to the Deep Sea Branch are you ‘Silent Maiden’?”
