CHAPTER 22: CRIMSON LOTUS

Once Draven was gone, the guard swept his gaze around the room. Without warning, he strode over, yanked open a cage, and grabbed Lin by the neck, lifted him up and threw him inside the cage. Slammed the bar and left.

"Damn, that hurt so bad." For a few seconds, he couldn’t even move as pain throbbed through his body.

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Outside

Caelum Draven stepped out of the narrow path, jaw tight. "How long will this take?" He wondered, frustration bubbling beneath his calm. "I don’t need much—just a pair. Just one pair of goats, and the prince will be able to fulfill his promise. After that, achieving my goals will be easy."

As he entered the courtyard, he saw three prisoners in black, kneeling in the mud with their heads bowed. Seeing them, his gaze sharpened, and an invisible killing intent was released from his body. Old Wen with white hair raised his voice. "Young master, we captured these three, but their tongues have already been cut off. We found these blades on them."

Caelum Draven took the blades from Old Wen, turning them over in his hand, and saw etched into the steel a blood-red lotus.

"These weren’t ordinary assassins. They carried the Crimson Lotus sigil," old Wen said softly. Caelum Draven’s mind darted, remembering everything he knew about the Crimson Lotus, a clandestine and lethal assassin group. Their most infamous achievement? Penetrating the palace itself, with numerous attempts to kill the Grand Queen, not only that, they also have a reputation for attacking various sects around the world. They don’t fear anything.

He looked at the prisoners, then at old Wen. Wen’s voice was tense and urgent: "This place is no longer safe. We must leave. Please don’t insist; the prince would be very upset if he found out you took action."

"But, sir, I have arranged a goat race for you tomorrow," Barnaby Clay added with an anxious expression from the side.

"You should be more concerned about the goats; none of them meet expectations. Tell the doctor he has only two more years. After that, I won’t be helping you anymore. You’re on your own, and another thing, increase the monthly sales, don’t know how you’d do that, but do it," said Dravan, signaling his men to move quickly. They gathered what they needed and hurried toward the waiting vessel. Caelum Draven didn’t look back as the boat sailed away from the ruined estate, leaving fire and chaos behind.

On the ground, the villagers and Barnaby Clay watched the vessel disappear into the night. For a moment, the farm was silent. Then, as the villagers dispersed, a slow, sinister smile spread across Barnaby’s face. "Lucky bastard," he muttered, barely audible.

Inside the hidden room.

Lin reclined on the straw, staring at the ceiling. He closed his eyes. He remembered what Draven said: goats were just commodities. This truth was much more dangerous than he had first realized. However, one question kept bothering him: What exactly was Draven doing on the air? Was he truly interacting with the system? Could others also have systems like his?"

Lin let out a sigh, "No point overthinking. I’m not getting out tonight. Too many shocks for one day—the biggest being that Caelum Draven said something important, and I don’t even know what it was."

Lin couldn’t help but glance at Bojo, who was twitching in his sleep, clearly trapped in a nightmare—or maybe feeling pain. He walked closer to check on his situation. As he drew near, Lin finally understood everything. Bojo had indeed lost a horn. How it happened, he might only learn after Bojo woke up. The fresh blood on Bojo’s remaining horn suggested this hadn’t happened long ago.

He was grateful that at least the guard had thrown them into the same cage. As Lin watched Bojo, he suddenly heard the distinct sound of something taking off. He tried to focus, straining his ears. It wasn’t just his imagination. That was the sound of something leaving. Could it be Caelum Draven?

"I still have a chance of not getting nailed to the wall," he thought. Hold your horses, Lin. Don’t get happy too soon—there’s still danger. He considered the guard. Maybe that one left, too. Who knows? "I’ll have to stay focused. First, I need to confirm if what I heard and what I’m thinking is right."

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The next day, Lin woke to the low, anxious murmurs filling the room. The air was thick with the scent of straw, musk, and fear. Sunlight filtered in through a narrow window high above, painting pale stripes across the crowded floor. For a moment, Lin just lay there, his body aching, his mind foggy from restless dreams. Then the memories rushed back: the battle, Caelum Draven, the cages.

He pushed himself upright, ears twitching.

Around him, goats huddled together, their eyes dull, probably from too much sleep or maybe from whatever drugs the farm owner gave them. But that wasn’t his concern; he searched for Bojo and found him in one of the corners. As he was approaching him, he noticed Bojo opened his eyes and gasped for breath. The first sentence that came out of his mouth was, "Have I finally reached paradise?" As his gaze shifted, he noticed Lin looking toward him. Surprise spread across Bojo’s face. "Lin, you also reached paradise!"

Lin didn’t answer Bojo; instead, he examined him closely.

"How did you end up here? What happened to you? How did you lose your horn?" asked Lin, with genuine concern visible in his voice. Sometimes he might act like an EXP-hungry goat, but the truth is, since he called someone his friend, that someone is his friend—doesn’t matter if it’s a goat, though when alive he loved goat meat, cough.

"No... nothing, I was just walking and fell, after that I don’t remember that much"

"How can you fall and be injured like that?" asked Lin. It was evident that Bojo might be hiding something. How could a goat just fall and become injured like this to the point that it lost its horn?

"Bojo, do you remember the rules of friendship? We should never lie to each other, never hide anything." Lin looked Bojo in the eyes to ensure he was listening carefully. Lin’s expression turned serious. Then he continued, "Tell me the truth—how did you end up like this? Who did this to you?"