novelraw Chapter 37 : He Was No Stepping Stone
Chapter 37 : He Was No Stepping Stone
Chapter 37: He Was No Stepping Stone
The next day, Leon once again appeared at the Owl Old Junk Shop.
“You asked around about the debt collectors from Potter’s Pawnshop?”
The old shopkeeper frowned slightly.
“So the Inquisitor who broke Garcia’s arm at the tavern yesterday, beat the five of them until they were vomiting blood and kneeling to beg for mercy, and then made them crawl out of the tavern in a line… that was you?”
“I didn’t go that far!” Leon frowned as well.
It had only been one day—how had the story already spread like this?
“I really don’t understand you. Just yesterday you warned me to act carefully, and that very night you went and provoked people yourself. What are you trying to do?”
The old shopkeeper shook his head at Leon.
“They were the ones who provoked me. From the sound of it, you know that group? So they’re in this line of work too?” Leon asked smoothly.
Garcia’s restrained reaction toward him as an Inquisitor, as well as the familiarity of the men under Garcia, made Leon keenly realize that the crimes these underworld figures were involved in were likely connected to Church regulations.
If they merely engaged in usury, broke a few arms and legs, or forced women into prostitution and pimping, those matters were not under the Church’s jurisdiction.
They would be handled by the Security Office and town guards.
In that case, there would be no reason for them to fear the Inquisition so much.
For the underworld to be involved in something the Church forbade, the only profitable option was smuggling Magical Beast materials.
That also explained why the old shopkeeper could name Garcia—there was a good chance they were colleagues in the underworld.
Following that line of thought further, if Garcia, the underworld thug hired by the wealthy merchant Potter, was involved in Magical Beast smuggling, then Potter’s own businesses were very likely connected to it as well.
“Did you come here specifically to fish for information, or what?” the old shopkeeper asked Leon irritably.
“Didn’t you yourself say yesterday that if I ran into trouble in the underworld, I should come find you? I was just being cautious,” Leon said, spreading his hands.
Although it seemed that he had completely crushed those underworld thugs yesterday and achieved a total victory, there was still no guarantee they wouldn’t seize an opportunity to bite back and take revenge later.
An open spear was easy to dodge; a hidden arrow was hard to guard against.
To be safe, he had chosen to come see the old shopkeeper today.
If the old shopkeeper truly had some connections in the underworld, that would greatly reduce the risk of Leon and Melissa and her daughter suffering retaliation in the future.
“Alright, I understand. I should still thank you for thinking highly of me and being willing to come explain the situation clearly.”
After hearing the entire outline of events, the old shopkeeper nodded calmly.
“Don’t worry. Garcia’s superior is also a steady person and won’t let them act recklessly.The Inquisition is investigating very tightly right now. I’ll also have my people quietly pass along a word. You can go back and live your life in peace.”
“Many thanks.”
Leon nodded in gratitude, but instead of leaving immediately, he stayed where he was and continued looking at the old shopkeeper.
“Is there something else?”
The old shopkeeper sensed that Leon had another purpose.
“I’ve actually been thinking—since the Inquisition is urgently trying to find my goods, can we find someone suitable in the underworld to take the blame and cut off the investigation?” Leon asked.
“The quantity of your goods makes for a serious charge. How many people in the underworld do you think would be willing to shoulder that kind of crime?” the old shopkeeper countered.
“Who says they have to be willing? I could frame them using my goods, then directly arrest them,” Leon suggested.
The people he had in mind were Garcia’s group from yesterday.
If they were involved in Magical Beast trading, he would have the conditions to frame them.
To ensure that those people would never be able to retaliate against him and Melissa, the safest course of action was indeed to send them inside.
At the same time, it would let him lie low himself—killing two birds with one stone.
But after hearing this, the shopkeeper shook his head seriously.
“Don’t mess around. It might work for an ordinary case, but if, as you said, Caron personally stepped in, he would definitely dig to the bottom and trace the source of the goods.Framing a few petty thieves who can’t explain anything is useless. You won’t fool him, and doing this might instead make you yourself fall under suspicion!”
“I’ve never seen Caron Eso dig deeply into any case. Many investigations into Mana trading chains were halted because of his orders. His style is to close cases as quickly as possible. Only if Hamel Town hides filth does he have opportunities to skim profits from it,” Leon said.
“He doesn’t dig deep because he has a grasp of the transactions behind it. He almost secretly knows the entire trading chain of Hamel Town—except for you! That’s why he’s definitely trying every possible way to find you now!”
As he said this, the shopkeeper suddenly seemed to realize something and looked at Leon with a grave expression.
“Tell me—do you have some misunderstanding about Caron Eso? How many years have you been in service?”
“Two and a half years.” Leon shrugged.
“I’ve never seen that bastard personally investigate a case.”
“Listen carefully, kid. Caron Eso may be a bastard, but he is absolutely not a useless fool! He took part in the Maritime Conquest War and earned his rank from the Church through military merit before taking this post!” the shopkeeper said sternly.
“He actually served in the military?” Leon was somewhat surprised.
This was the first time he had heard of it.
“He was a lieutenant officer. It’s said he was already quite formidable back then, and after becoming a Transcendent, it became even more exaggerated. Although not many people in the underworld still remember it, he truly once charged alone into a small house defended by six people, under a volley of gunfire. He killed two, crippled the remaining four, and only suffered minor flesh wounds himself,” the shopkeeper said.
“Are you sure that’s not just hearsay?” Leon found it hard to believe for a moment.
After all, even his own deeds had spread overnight into a story of him fighting five men alone.
“What if I told you I saw it with my own eyes? I personally saw him get shot and only have his skin broken a little,” the shopkeeper said seriously.
“Impervious to blades and bullets… a recipient of blessings from the Church of the God of War?” Leon finally took the shopkeeper’s words seriously.
Among the Four Gods, the Church of the God of War was said to grant blessings to Fully Appointed Knights and bishops that could turn an ordinary person as strong and powerful as a brown bear or lion and tiger.
Some could even become impervious to blades and bullets without wearing armor.
“Perhaps. And it’s not just strength—his sense for tracking people like us is also extremely sharp. You think he can’t investigate cases? You can’t even imagine how many people he caught when he was young! Use your brain properly. How could someone who can single-handedly dominate both the underworld and the legitimate side here be a piece of trash? Underestimate him, and you will definitely fall flat on your face!” the shopkeeper warned.
Leon was left speechless.
He had to admit that what the shopkeeper said was not without reason.
He really had underestimated Director Caron somewhat.
In his two years at the Inquisition, he had only seen the Director bully others by relying on his authority and had never seen him do any real work.
But thinking carefully, it became clear that the premise for this shopkeeper to fence goods for Caron was that Caron had the ability to control him and, to a certain extent, understand the trading chain behind him.
Caron loafed about in the Inquisition because he firmly controlled both the black and white sides of this small town.
A male lion that ruled a pride was always lazy as well—that was because it had the ability to control its territory and its pride.
It rarely hunted, instead snatching prey painstakingly brought down by other lions and eating its fill.
But when an external threat appeared in its territory, the lion king would put away its usual laziness and reveal its most ferocious and violent side.
“Sounds like you’ve suffered at his hands before,” Leon stared at the shopkeeper.
“You wouldn’t stumble twice, would you?”
“Worry about yourself, kid. Don’t let him catch any flaws,” the shopkeeper snorted.
“The feeling’s mutual.” After saying this, Leon took his leave.