Trafford's Trading Club

Chapter 1294: Citywide Riot (2)

Foggy City, outside the city walls, Perkins Manor.

Inside the Knight Bureau, before a massive round table, everyone sat gathered—regional heads of the Knight Bureau. In front of each of them lay an identical box.

Security here was airtight. Outside the round-table chamber doors, aside from Lancelot who had already been captured, all current Twelve Knights of the Round Table stood guard, along with nearly thirty Grand Knights and over a hundred elite knights.

“Begin.”

Sir Perkins spoke softly and was the first to open the box before him, taking out a green gemstone about the size of a pebble.

Almost simultaneously, the other regional heads removed identical items from their own boxes.

Sir Perkins then unscrewed the ornament atop his cane and inserted it into a small recessed slot that opened in the table before him, twisting it.

Gears began to turn. The floor at the center of the round table opened, and a statue of a sword-bearing king slowly rose from below.

On the blade of the stone sword were circular grooves, each corresponding exactly to the gemstones held by the leaders.

As if drawn by an unseen force, the gemstones flew from their hands and embedded themselves into the sword’s grooves. Everyone held their breath, watching carefully.“I’ve always known of its existence, but since taking office I’ve never truly seen it… To think that within my lifetime I would witness its appearance.”

The speaker was an elderly man even older than Sir Perkins. His eyes were unfocused, unblinking, fixed on every change in the statue.

Crack—!

A sudden sound startled everyone. The king’s statue split apart from the head downward, unfolding like blooming petals, revealing at its center a small stone.

Within that stone lay a crude stone cup.

“This… this is the legendary Holy Grail?”

The crowd felt an indescribable disappointment. In their imaginations, the Holy Grail should have been far more precious—perhaps not extravagant, but at least something that looked extraordinary at a glance.

The silence lasted only a few seconds.

The Holy Grail atop the pedestal suddenly began to tremble. Cracks spread rapidly across its surface.

Szz—szz—!

After the violent shaking, it shattered completely. A dazzling golden light instantly filled every corner of the room, forcing everyone to shut their eyes.

When their vision finally adjusted, they looked again in astonishment—and could no longer hide their excitement.

This was the true Holy Grail.

It seemed to contain infinite magical power. A single glance felt as though one’s soul were being drawn in; visions of heaven appeared before their eyes.

Peace, happiness, fulfillment—all sensations capable of bringing joy to humanity flooded their hearts at once. On every face appeared an eerie yet entranced smile of satisfaction.

Knock—knock—!

The sharp sound snapped them awake. Sir Perkins was tapping the table with his cane.

“Everyone, please remain calm,” Sir Perkins said slowly, as though he had not noticed their lapse.

The group exhaled deeply.

“The cup of wine from the Last Supper, said to have even held the blood of the Son of God… the cup of magical power capable of granting any wish,” the elderly man murmured.

“Everyone, this is not the Holy Grail of the Bible,” an old woman frowned. “It is an artifact created in that land of sin a century ago. It bears the name Holy Grail, but it is by no means sacred. The records clearly state that activating it requires a sacrifice.”

At the mention of sacrifice, one of the heads—still gazing at the cup in fascination—came to his senses, breaking out in a cold sweat.

“Then, Perkins, now that the Holy Grail has been retrieved, how do you plan to handle the most crucial part… the sacrificial offering?”

Facing their gazes, Sir Perkins took a deep breath. “It must consume souls to activate. The souls of the living are out of the question, so I intend to use something else.”

“Death-row inmates would be ideal,” someone suggested. “But the death penalty has been abolished. Perhaps we could use super-criminals instead. Our relations with the Magicians’ Association are strained anyway—those wanted criminals we were supposed to hand over need not be.”

Sir Perkins shook his head. “Those criminals were already reported to the Magicians’ Association upon capture. If we fail to produce them now, it will raise suspicion. Despite national differences, we were allies a century ago. There’s no need to push relations to a breaking point.”

“Then what do you plan to do? What sacrifice could you possibly use? Don’t tell me you intend to use heroic spirits from Valhalla?!”

Sir Perkins waved a hand for calm. “Perhaps it is Heaven’s will. Just before the ‘Doomsday Myth’ crisis began, the Foggy City Knight Bureau dismantled a beastman-smuggling syndicate. That batch of beastmen is currently here.”

“Beastmen… beastmen?” someone pondered.

“If they were slaves captured for sale, the traffickers wouldn’t dare seize protected clans or powerful individuals among the beastmen. This could work,” another said, tempted.

“I have no objections,” one declared outright.

“Fine, Perkins. Even if the sacrifice is chosen, it can’t be done openly,” the elderly man said gravely. “Especially not in front of the Twelve Knights—it would shake their knightly faith.”

“Rest assured, I’ve already handled it,” Sir Perkins replied expressionlessly, tapping the table again.

A section of the chamber wall slid open. A knight with a cold expression stepped inside, his body stained with blood, a long sword dripping crimson in his hand.

The thick stench of blood made everyone frown. Meeting the knight’s icy gaze sent a chill through them.

“This is Grand Knight Simpson,” Sir Perkins said calmly. “I had him take care of it in advance. The sword he holds is the demonic blade Högni. The souls of those beastmen are already stored within it.”

“Simpson… is it really him? That child…”

The leaders reexamined the grim-faced man, fragments of information about Simpson surfacing in their minds.

Years ago, a rampaging beastman had appeared—so brutal that both the Knight Bureau and the Magicians’ Association had been plagued by the threat.

He was eventually hunted down and killed. When his base was discovered, many innocent humans—mostly women—were rescued.

What shocked the force even more was that these women had been raped by the beastman and bore children as a result. Those children were used for various experiments.

Even after rescue, most of them were already ruined. Among them, only one child seemed mentally intact.

That child was later raised by the Knight Bureau and ultimately became a Grand Knight…

Ignoring the gazes upon him, Grand Knight Simpson stood with his head slightly lowered.

Sir Perkins, as though unfazed by the reaction, spoke again, “Very well. Grand Knight Simpson, I entrust you with the honor of activating the Holy Grail. Are you ready?”

“Yes, my lord.”

Grand Knight Simpson raised his sword in salute, then walked step by step to the platform where the Holy Grail rested. He placed the tip of his demonic blade at the rim of the Grail. Blood began to surge along the blade and drip into the cup.

“The power released when the Holy Grail is activated increases with the number of sacrifices,” Sir Perkins said solemnly. “There are forty-three beastman souls here. I don’t expect the Holy Grail to resolve this crisis outright.”

“Then what do you intend to do, Perkins?”

“The root of this upheaval is the organization known as the ‘Doomsday Myth,’” Perkins said directly. “We need all information on this organization—its members, locations, everything. Only by eradicating it at the source can we prevent this from happening again.”

Drops of blood continued to fall from the demonic sword. When the cup was nearly half full, the Holy Grail once again burst forth with dazzling light.

At the same time, an ancient parchment scroll slowly appeared before Sir Perkins.

……

—Payment received: 5 million.

Such a notification sound did not actually exist; rather, it was something similar in format.

The general content was:

You have received a standard soul deposit. Quantity +43.

In Boss Luo’s mind, he once again heard the loli-like voice of the altar he imagined.

“Why does this suddenly feel like finding a hundred bucks in the pocket of some clothes you haven’t worn in years while cleaning up…”

“Master?” Miss Maid tilted her head slightly, clearly puzzled by his sudden remark, her hair falling gently.

“Ah… don’t move. That pose is nice.”

Boss Luo, who had written a personal motto for himself, intended to do many things while avoiding being swallowed by endless transactions. Thus, he restrained himself from constantly engaging in time-consuming observation.

Inside the room, Miss Maid and her master were engaged in an activity known as photography.

After all, it was a long night.

……

……

With no phone and not even a clock, in the dim stone chamber the only way to judge time was by bodily sensation. The Queen felt a trace of drowsiness.

It should already be past her usual bedtime.

Lancelot had not lain down. When the Queen lowered her hand from before his eyes, he had already regained some strength and quickly finished the food Caesar had sent—replenishing his energy.

It seemed like a different person, yet also the same. Her Majesty smiled as she watched Lancelot’s actions.

“Will this really work?” the Queen asked curiously.

Lancelot was holding the chain of his shackles and grinding it against the stone floor, already producing a fair amount of stone powder.

“These shackles were developed by the Magicians’ Association specifically to restrain transcendent power,” Lancelot said seriously. “They’re made from a special alchemical mineral called Hamstone. They’re basically obsolete now. The Knight Bureau still has quite a few of them. They’re effective at sealing power, but they’re not very sturdy. There have been prisoners who managed to break the chains this way.”

“I see,” Her Majesty nodded with relief. “Then in your estimation, how long will it take to break them?”

“Hard to say,” Lancelot shook his head. “That prisoner took over half a month. But having a method is better than none. We can’t just wait for rescue. Your Majesty, could I trouble you to keep watch outside? If someone comes in, I’d like to stop.”

“Of course, child. I’ll keep watch. Trust me, I can manage,” the Queen replied warmly.

However…

Half a month. Her Majesty smiled bitterly to herself. She did not tell Lancelot about Caesar’s plan to execute her before dawn.

She had no intention of discouraging Lancelot’s efforts. Instead, she slowly walked to the door and pretended to listen intently.

“Oh… it seems someone really is coming,” the Queen said hurriedly.

Lancelot quickly lay back down, covering the stone powder and gathering the chains, turning onto his side.

When the door opened, Her Majesty stepped back a few paces, placing herself in front of Lancelot.

“What are you doing?”

The ones who entered were Judas and Catherine. Catherine eyed the Queen suspiciously.

With the anger and sarcasm of a captive, the Queen said coolly, “Gentlemen, ladies, do you not realize that such a cold place can easily make me ill? If I don’t get up and move around, I’ll freeze. I demand better treatment.”

Judas frowned, clearly irritated by this aristocratic manner. “Then I hope you move enough. It’ll get even colder late at night.”

“You rude people!” the Queen snapped.

Catherine sneered, ignored her, and glanced at Lancelot on the floor. “Is this one still unconscious?”

“What have you done to her?!” the Queen shouted.

“Let me see if she’s dead,” Catherine said with a cold laugh, stepping forward.

The Queen blocked her path, frowning. “You’ve already reduced her to this, and you still intend to harm her? I demand, in the name of the Queen of England, that you stop this brutality at once!”

“Wretched old hag,” Catherine scoffed.

“Enough,” Judas said calmly. “Caesar only told us to check on them. No need to argue. Very well, Your Majesty—if you’re cold, I’ll have a blanket sent later.”

“I also demand a pot of hot tea, preferably with fresh milk. I need milk to sleep peacefully!”

“Do you think this is a hotel, you old hag?! Do you even understand your situation?!”

Judas shook his head and pulled Catherine toward the door. “That’s enough. No fresh milk, but we can send you some hot water. If there’s nothing else, stay put.”

When the door finally closed, the Queen let out a slow breath.

She pressed her ear to the door and listened for a long while before saying softly, “All right, they’ve gone. Child, I told you—I can handle this.”

Only then did Lancelot sit up, looking gratefully at the Queen who had shielded him.

“Do you hear something?” the Queen suddenly frowned.

Lancelot froze and listened carefully. From outside came a faint humming sound, and the air itself seemed to tremble slightly.

……

A massive warcraft was slowly descending from the night sky.

(End of Chapter)