novelraw Chapter 241: The Explosive Truth
Chapter 241: The Explosive Truth
"Should be about time."
Not long ago, somewhere on the outskirts of the Blackwater Swamp's Core Area, a young man in his twenties looked at the sky, opened his watch cover, and checked the time.
"Soon, the merchant caravan will pass by here... that impostor should be among them!"
"They plan to have the convoy escorting you and the merchant caravan arrive simultaneously, then swap you out under the cover of night when management is relatively lax, in the Royal Capital's commercial stopping area?"
"Yes."
The young man nodded: "By this time, the other side has probably already discovered I'm missing. Their mission to eliminate me in advance failed, but to avoid disrupting the plan, they can only continue heading toward the Royal Capital, waiting for news from this side."
"And we only need to intercept the merchant caravan here to turn their plan against them, countering their scheme with our own!"
Beside him stood a slender man with a sharp aura and narrow eyes.
The young man nodded: "Next, I'll have to rely on you, Uncle Grim."
Just then, one of his subordinates suddenly exclaimed: "Bad news, Captain, look over there quickly!"Grim followed the sound and saw a massive figure slowly emerging from underground in the distance.
"Corrupted Swamp Stalker?"
He immediately frowned.
There was less than a quarter of the distance remaining to leave this dangerous area.
After being out of the Corrupted Swamp Stalker's territory for quite some time, the group encountered monsters again, though not mid-level Lord Level monsters, just low-level Lords, which Lin Mo easily dealt with.
Since [Meteor Thrust]'s progress was unexpectedly fast and close to leveling up, he simply continued using this skill in combat, accumulating some more proficiency.
[Meteor Thrust] proficiency +50
[Meteor Thrust] proficiency +30
After encountering monsters twice, the skill was only a few dozen proficiency points away from reaching max level.
"Almost there, less than two kilometers left to leave this area... next we'll gradually return to the middle section of the Blackwater Swamp, and it will only take about an hour's journey to leave the swamp and enter the Royal Capital's Official Road!"
By then, the mission would essentially be completed.
While maintaining vigilance, Dirk couldn't help but feel excited. This mission had been much more difficult than expected, and completing it was truly not easy. Although Lin Mo had done most of the work, no matter what, the more hardships overcome to achieve a goal, the more satisfying it felt.
Moreover, after completing this mission, he would smoothly become a Silver Level adventurer!
Compared to Dirk's joy, Lin Mo's expression grew increasingly serious.
There was still one kilometer left to leave the dangerous area.
The surroundings were eerily quiet. Everyone could see the hope of victory, and the carriage drivers whipped the horses to speed up again.
800 meters.
700 meters.
500 meters...
The sound of the approaching wind suddenly froze at this moment.
Lin Mo quietly watched the figure that had suddenly appeared before him. The sharp blade was less than half a meter away from his brow.
Truly an Elite Level assassin;
the moment he struck, his speed was already blurred from swiftness.
No one reacted. Everything went so smoothly, not even encountering the obstruction of a magic barrier. The sharp dagger stabbed straight into Lin Mo's head.
Even the sensation of piercing through the skull and the blade cutting through the brain felt so clear and real.
But...
The black-robed assassin's back was instantly drenched in cold sweat.
He had stabbed Lin Mo, but this wasn't Lin Mo...
Those eyes stared directly at him, filled with understanding and mockery.
"You finally made your move."
There was no explosion because they were on the carriage, and Lin Mo didn't want to damage it.
Just as "Lin Mo" spoke, a swift burst of energy shot from the side. The black-robed assassin hastily dodged but was still grazed by this [Meteor Thrust] on his left waist, immediately bleeding profusely.
The black-robed assassin let the wound bleed freely, his eyes fixed intently on the Lin Mo before him.
A clone skill?
He suddenly remembered last night's faint, elusive feeling of being watched.
So that was it. It seemed it wasn't his illusion after all...
"You knew all along?"
"No, I didn't know."
Lin Mo spread his hands: "Just like I still don't understand now why you're making your move."
Through various pieces of information, he could vaguely guess some things, but he still knew very little about the full scope of their plan for this operation.
"Talking is pointless!"
As the black-robed assassin spoke, he charged at Lin Mo again.
"This..."
Dirk, standing nearby, was completely stunned. What was going on?
Wasn't this black-clothed person one of the escort personnel arranged by the merchant caravan... why were they suddenly fighting?
But he wasn't foolish enough to just stand there;
he immediately drew his sword and came to help Lin Mo.
Looking at the assassin charging toward him, Lin Mo remained calm and composed.
Was it another clone?
Having been tricked once, the black-clothed assassin had become somewhat paranoid. His attacking movements became hesitant, and he kept diverting his attention to the surroundings.
Where exactly is this guy?
The sharp blade still came for Lin Mo's chest. Lin Mo made no move to block, but just as the dagger was about to hit, he completely disappeared.
In that moment of stunned confusion, [Meteor Thrust] had already pierced through his chest and abdomen.
Since the other party came with killing intent, Lin Mo naturally had no reason to hold back.
The black-clothed man fell in a pool of blood. Glenn looked horrified, and just then, dense footsteps suddenly reached their ears.
More?
Lin Mo frowned, gathering ice elements in his hand, ready to act, when he suddenly saw the leader and froze in surprise.
The other party also saw Lin Mo at the same time, equally stunned, then lowered his bow.
"Everyone, stop!"
Grim spoke: "First, surround the merchant caravan."
"Mr. Grim?"
Lin Mo looked somewhat surprised at the middle-aged man walking toward him.
This person was none other than the captain of the other adventuring company that had gone with the Lion Adventuring Company to support Silverstream City—the captain of the Falcon Adventuring Company.
They had met briefly at the banquet in Silverstream City and had drinks together.
"And Dirk, you're here too..."
Grim then noticed Dirk nearby and was even more surprised.
"Captain Grim, what are you doing here?"
Dirk shrugged somewhat helplessly, "I thought we had more trouble coming."
The Lion Adventuring Company and Falcon Adventuring Company had a deep relationship;
they were like brother companies and had always gotten along very well.
"Well... that's a long story."
Grim scratched his head, glanced at the body on the ground, and looked meaningfully at Lin Mo: "It seems that idiot Leonard wasn't exaggerating. Young brother Lin Mo's strength has grown quite remarkably during this time!"
When he saw the Corrupted Swamp Stalker appear earlier, he thought something bad was going to happen and rushed over in a hurry. Who knew that halfway there, the massive monster had already been eliminated.
That had really made Grim's heart sink at the time.
He admitted that although he was stronger than that monster, it would be very difficult to eliminate it in such a short time, so he had thought a fierce battle was coming.
But then...
Turns out it was like the flood dragon attacking the dragon king's temple—they were all on the same side.
"Are these people all acquaintances of Uncle Grim?"
A young man walked over, making Lin Mo's eyes widen.
Wasn't this that guy?
That "Young Master" who had been hiding in the merchant caravan's carriage earlier.
But...
He looked toward the merchant caravan. The carriage the "Young Master" had been riding in clearly had never had anyone come out.
Could it be another clone?
No, not likely.
Seeing Lin Mo's puzzled expression, Grim smiled: "The specific details will be explained by this Young Master Preston."
Preston?
Lin Mo had heard this surname.
If he remembered correctly, it should be Nathaniel Preston, the Duke known as the Kingdom's Sword, and also the namesake of the Preston Smithy where he had previously purchased equipment.
So, this matter was related to the Preston family, not the Morin family?
The young man before him smiled and proactively extended his hand: "Hello, Mr. Lin Mo. I am Benerod Preston, the only son of Duke Nathaniel Preston."
Lin Mo shook his hand, and Benerod began telling his story.
"It all started about twenty-five years ago, with the marriage alliance between the Jade Merchant Group and the Preston family."
"The Jade Merchant Group was a moderately sized merchant group in the Doria Kingdom at that time, developing very rapidly and considered a promising rising star."
"But any merchant group, when it develops to a certain extent, will inevitably conflict with some large merchant groups, even the industries of major nobles. The head of the Jade Merchant Group was just a minor Viscount and received warnings from many nobles because of this."
"To break through this predicament, the Jade Merchant Group devised a plan. Through a coincidental encounter, they arranged for my birth mother... the daughter of the Jade Merchant Group's head, to meet the then-rising Kingdom's Sword, my father, Nathaniel Preston, at a banquet."
"Everything that followed was so natural. Under active and fierce pursuit, my father eventually fell in love and married the daughter of the Jade Merchant Group."
"But later developments didn't proceed as smoothly as the Jade Merchant Group had hoped..."
"My father kept emotions and family affairs separate. So although he resolved those warnings and obstacles for the Jade Merchant Group and engaged in some cooperation, he didn't fully integrate them into the Preston family's industries as the merchant group had wished."
"Later, the unsatisfied and greedy Jade Merchant Group eventually set their sights on another rising great duke in the kingdom—Duke Sted Morin."
"The merchant group formed a deep cooperative relationship with the Morin family, starting from then on working for the Morin family, helping transport various alchemical materials and selling the Morin family's alchemical products."
"In this process, one person played a crucial role..."
Lin Mo and Dirk's faces immediately showed somewhat strange expressions: "It couldn't be..."
"Correct, it was my mother."
Benerod's expression was unexpectedly calm: "Her beauty wasn't peerless, but she had an identity that Duke Morin couldn't refuse—the wife of the Kingdom's Sword, his greatest rival."
"She betrayed my father. After giving birth to me, she rarely returned to the duke's residence. Under the pretext of discussing cooperation, she repeatedly had illicit relations with Duke Morin, soon became pregnant, then used quarrels with my father as an excuse to permanently reside at the Jade Merchant Group, secretly giving birth to my 'brother'—him!"
Benerod pointed toward the carriage ahead, where a panicked-looking person, at least eighty percent similar to him, quickly pulled down the carriage curtain and retreated inside.
Lin Mo was shocked.
No wonder these two looked so similar—they were born from the same mother.
This scandal was huge and utterly absurd.
One could only say, the circles of nobility truly...
"She was afraid my father would discover this child, so shortly after giving birth, under Duke Morin's arrangements, she sent the child to be raised in another city."
"This matter should have ended there."
Lin Mo nodded. If it had ended there, it would just be an ordinary case of infidelity.
Although the identities of those involved were somewhat explosive, it would still fall within the scope of family matters.
"Later, she returned to the duke's residence, preparing to return to normal life... but the long estrangement had chilled my father's heart, so he treated her indifferently from then on... Then she remembered her past with Duke Morin..."
Lin Mo wasn't surprised by this.
As the saying goes, infidelity happens either once or countless times.
"Her relationship with Duke Morin continued until now. She resented my father's indifference, blaming everything on his unwillingness to let the Jade Merchant Group get involved in the Preston family business... Then, that forgotten child gradually grew up. According to messages from the caretakers, this person bore over eighty percent resemblance to me."
"This news immediately gave the Jade Merchant Group and Duke Morin an idea..."
Lin Mo seemed to understand.
"But in the Royal Capital, they didn't dare act. So, she began treating me more harshly, creating difficulties everywhere, trying every possible means to torment and suppress me, trying to force me out of the Royal Capital."
"I did as she wished... Two years ago, I told my father I wanted to go out for training for a while."
"What happened next, I think you probably already roughly know."
"Of course, going out for training would have escort personnel and require regular reports to the Royal Capital. They were always waiting for the right moment, until my training period ended and I prepared to return to the Royal Capital."
"Some of the escort personnel were originally her people, and over these two years, many more had been infiltrated and bribed. They planned to eliminate the remaining personnel and me together, then have the Jade Merchant Group initiate a trade journey to the Royal Capital to deliver that impostor to the capital, deliberately selecting remote routes to prevent discovery of clues later. As long as this merchant caravan and the convoy escorting me arrived simultaneously at the Royal Capital's commercial stopping area at night, there would be plenty of room for manipulation to have him replace me and enter the duke's residence!"
"Due to the extremely high resemblance, possible changes from nearly two years of training outside, plus my father's busy schedule with work and originally rarely communicating with me, the probability of discovery was very low."
"Once the plan succeeded, they could legitimately have someone with Morin family blood become the Preston heir! Subsequently, they could gradually annex the Preston family's industries and, after my father's death, completely make the Preston name disappear!"
This was truly... explosive enough.
Lin Mo marveled for a moment. No wonder after they saw that fake young master, the black-robed assassin still chose to attack even though he knew he likely couldn't win.
If people knew this "Young Master of the Preston family" appeared here at this time, the information wouldn't match up, creating exposure risk.
Even if the escorting adventurers didn't recognize the Preston family's young master and might not have contact with the Prestons later, this matter was simply too big. Even a one-in-ten-thousand chance of error had to be eliminated.
Otherwise, once exposed, the consequences would be extremely severe!
The wrath of the Kingdom's Sword was something even Duke Morin couldn't withstand.
"So, why didn't they choose more powerful escorts?"
Dirk scratched his head, looking puzzled.
"If that black-clothed person had been a bit stronger, we would have been in trouble..."
"Because this was just an ordinary merchant caravan escort. The Jade Merchant Group doesn't have many powerful experts of their own. Whenever they need high-level escorts, they have to apply to the Preston family. My father is very strict about this aspect of management;
all such information must be recorded. If they applied for overly powerful personnel for an ordinary merchant caravan escort, wouldn't that be blatantly telling others something was wrong?"
"Generally, caravans on Route 11 are escorted by people who have just reached or are about to reach Elite Level..."
"Normally, the probability of encountering Elite Level monsters in this area is actually quite low. With his strength, plus the hired adventurers close to Elite Level, it should be enough to handle most situations on Route 11... Even if they encountered an unsolvable monster, an Elite Level assassin's speed could at least ensure this impostor's safe escape."
"Anyway, to prevent plan errors, they intended to kill me only when approaching the Royal Capital. After this merchant caravan left the Blackwater Swamp's mana-disrupted area, they could communicate with the other side via mana transmission. If things weren't going smoothly, the other side would abandon the operation. The worst outcome would be declaring the merchant caravan attacked, temporarily shelving the plan, and looking for another opportunity later..."
"They just didn't expect you to encounter that monster. Normally, even venturing deep into the core area might not necessarily lead to meeting such a powerful creature."
And even more unexpectedly, you actually eliminated it!
Benerod looked at Lin Mo, who was clearly much younger than himself, feeling quite astonished.
"I have one crucial question..."
Lin Mo frowned deeply: "How did you come to know about so many things?"
It would be reasonable if he were quite perceptive and discovered problems with his escorts, but knowing everything so clearly, even understanding the entire sequence of events—wasn't that a bit unreasonable?
Benerod smiled, mysteriously and arrogantly: "Because I slept with Duke Morin's wife."
"???"
What?
Lin Mo was stunned for a good while, then showed solemn respect and gave a thumbs up: "Incredible."
In a way, this also counted as avenging his father...
With that, it really wasn't strange anymore.
Unlike Nathaniel Preston, who earned his reputation through his own abilities and rose through the ranks, most old nobles married for alliances. Duke Morin's wife was also the daughter of another family's old duke. Taking concubines was one thing, but knowing you've been cuckolded like this—how could she accept it?
So she sought out Benerod with a vengeful mindset and told him everything.
"From the very beginning, before leaving the Royal Capital, I already knew about their plan..."
"Then I found Mr. Grim, who had previous connections with my father, and asked for his help. Earlier, to further their plan, they deliberately took me to dangerous places for training, using up my teleportation scroll... My communication with Mr. Grim happened precisely during that opportunity when I was teleported back. Mr. Grim spent a fortune to buy me another scroll, allowing me to escape."
What followed was what they had experienced.
"So, what do you plan to do next? Go back and expose them?"
Dirk asked.
Benerod shook his head, his expression serious: "I want to turn their scheme against them!"
"Oh?"
Lin Mo raised an eyebrow, "Pretend you're the impostor and use that to counter and deal with the Morin family?"
"Exactly."
"Interesting..."
So that's why he still chose to go out even though he knew there was a trap.
Lin Mo also had irreconcilable conflicts with the Morin family. If he could annoy that Duke Sted Morin, or even bring down the Morin family, he would naturally be happy to see it.
"What about this impostor?"
Lin Mo pointed at the carriage.
"Of course, let him go... After all, from the perspective of the other escort team, 'I' am missing. If I'm suddenly discovered outside, it would actually enhance my credibility as a fake."
As he spoke, a figure suddenly knocked over several surrounding adventurers guarding the area and hastily fled the scene.