Chapter 20: Pokemon Trainer Nolan

In the hall, the two groups stood in a silent standoff.

Sean could not figure out the other party’s origin or their purpose. Their mannerisms did not look at all like those lunatics from the Demon Hunting Regiment. As far as he knew, those guys spent all day encased in sheets of iron that hid their faces. The moment they spotted a suspect, they were like starving dogs seeing a fresh pile of excrement. They would pounce without hesitation, biting frantically until one side fell.

They would never dawdle with him like this. However, these three had already taken down more than half of the guards he brought. It was clear their strength was not to be underestimated.

He slowed his breathing, not daring to make any sudden moves for the moment. He was terrified that a single mistake in his behavior might accidentally provoke them. Although Sean had a notorious reputation, he had managed to survive in the business world for many years. He relied on his ability to read people.

He could tell with a few glances who he could slaughter and when he should just accept defeat. Aside from that “Deep Diver” from a few months ago, he had never misjudged anyone.

On Vivian’s side, the three of them had agreed before entering Sean’s small building that no one would speak first. They wanted to maintain their momentum and overwhelm the opponent with their presence, hoping the other party would slip up and reveal their “cultist” identity.

In Vivian’s words: they had to act like hotshots first to break their spirit.

***

The three people sitting in the chairs narrowed their eyes, silently staring at Sean.

After a long while, Sean’s scalp began to tingle from the scrutiny. ‘What is wrong with these three? They aren’t moving, and they aren’t speaking…’

He gradually grew impatient. His back was already soaked with sweat, and beads of perspiration covered his forehead.

A moment later, Sean truly could not take it anymore and was forced to speak first. He rubbed his hands together nervously, forcing a strained smile onto his face.

“I am the president of the Sean Chamber of Commerce, Sean White.” He bowed slightly toward the three of them, keeping his posture extremely low. The fat on his stomach squeezed into a mass, creating deep folds in his clothes. “I’m afraid there has been some misunderstanding between us. I hope you esteemed lords can find it in your hearts to overlook my stupid subordinates.”

***

The three remained motionless, sitting upright like majestic statues in a cathedral.

Sean cursed inwardly. A look of pain flashed across his face as he pulled a coin purse from his bosom and offered it forward with both hands.

“These five gold coins are a small token of my appreciation. I hope you will accept them.”

Using money to avert disaster was the simplest and most effective method. As a merchant, Sean firmly believed that no one could resist the charm of wealth; even kings would bow for it.

Sure enough, Vivian, who had been slouching in her chair, suddenly brightened up and sat straight. She shifted her gaze from the fat man and focused entirely on the coin purse. Her red eyes practically turned into the shape of gold coins.

‘Five gold coins!! How many loaves of bread could I buy with that?’

This was far too generous. She had risked her life to hunt demons for only ten gold coins. After the job was done, she even had to split the money with her teammates. In the end, what she actually took home wasn’t even necessarily five gold coins.

And now, all she had to do was reach out…

Heh heh.

Vivian’s mouth hung open slightly, her eyes becoming distant as she unconsciously fantasized about a wealthy future. The two people sitting on either side of her turned their heads simultaneously, staring at Vivian’s drooling expression.

Nolan and Blake thought, ‘…’

‘So, five gold coins are enough to buy you off, Vivian?’

Vivian also noticed the disappointed looks of her two companions. She quickly raised her hand to wipe the drool that was about to drip from the corner of her mouth. She reined in her undignified expression, straightened her face, and put on a determined look.

‘Hmph! You’re trying to dismiss me like a beggar with this little bit of money!’

Vivian glared fiercely at Sean.

Seeing this, Sean was not angry but overjoyed. ‘Is it working?’

Being quite clever, he quickly turned around, pulled out an even larger coin purse, and handed it over along with the previous one. He wasn’t afraid of someone taking too much; he was only afraid of them not taking anything at all.

This made Nolan unable to sit still. He felt that if they waited any longer, Vivian would take the man’s money and happily run back home. That wouldn’t do.

Nolan coughed twice, drawing everyone’s attention. Then, he frowned and asked the fat Sean, “You say you’re the Sean Chamber of Commerce? But isn’t the sign hanging outside for the Blue Whale Chamber of Commerce?”

“Uh… actually, I was invited by the president of the Blue Whale Chamber of Commerce to come over as a guest,” Sean said after a moment of hesitation.

“Then where is President Cole? We need to speak with him,” Nolan asked immediately.

“So you’re here to find President Cole. He’s right in the reception room on the second floor.”

At this point, Sean breathed a sigh of relief. The nerves that had been taut just a second ago finally relaxed. ‘After all that, they aren’t here to arrest me… That’s a relief.’

Sean let out a series of forced laughs and said, “Then I won’t disturb you anymore. I’ll be taking my leave now. I hope you all get along well.”

Having said that, he turned around with the guards behind him and walked quickly toward the collapsed entrance. He did not want to stay in this place for another second; he only wanted to leave this den of trouble. Once these three went upstairs and found Cole, they would definitely come looking for trouble with him again. He had to slip away while he still could.

As for the people upstairs and the brothers lying on the ground… ‘You’re on your own.’

“Wait, you can’t leave,” Nolan’s voice came from behind him.

The expression on Sean’s face froze instantly, but when he turned around, he smoothly switched back to a fawning smile. “Heh heh. Does the Great Lord have any other business…?”

“I suspect you have had contact with ‘cultists.’ Please come with me.”

Nolan felt that the fat man in front of him was suspicious. Although nothing seemed wrong currently, he ultimately chose to trust his intuition.

‘I should follow the guidance of my faith.’ Nolan was firmly convinced that this was a revelation from God.

Sean’s heart jolted. What he feared most had finally happened. If you were even slightly associated with the word “cultist,” you would face the Church’s never-ending investigation.

‘Those idiots are truly unreliable!’ Sean didn’t know when he had fallen under suspicion, so he could only shift all the blame onto those incompetent cultists.

“Lord Knight, I have always been the most loyal believer of the God of Light. How could I possibly have contact with ‘cultists’? It must be… it must be some petty person framing me. You must see the truth!”

Sean’s legs went weak, and he collapsed to his knees, tears and snot streaming down his face.

“Save those words for the people at the Judgment Court.” Nolan stood up from his chair and walked toward Sean. He didn’t feel like saying much; he would just arrest him first.

Seeing Nolan coming straight for him, a flash of ruthlessness crossed Sean’s eyes. He stood up quickly and shouted, “Stop him!”

The guards behind him rushed forward, forming a human wall and using their bodies to shield Sean.

How could Sean possibly allow himself to be captured? One had to realize that once he was taken to the Church’s dungeon, it would be impossible to keep his little secrets hidden. The fact that he had made deals with “cultists” would definitely be exposed. Then, he would be a “well-done” acquaintance on the burning stake.

Sean spun around and bolted toward the door without looking back. His obese body was surprisingly light as he ran, showing no signs of clumsiness. In a flash, Sean had already run out of the hall and onto the street.

“Vivian, go!” Nolan reached out and pointed at Sean’s retreating figure. Like a Pokemon battle, he gave Vivian a command.

A sudden gust of wind whipped up around Nolan, whistling past his ears. Vivian shot out like an arrow released from a bow, moving so fast she was nothing but a black afterimage. A guard blocking the way was knocked flying, crashing into a nearby shelf.

Outside, Sean, who was sprinting down the road, vaguely felt a sound of breaking air coming from behind him. He looked back in surprise.

‘What on earth?!’

A black shadow swept past. In the next second, the world spun before his eyes.

*Boom!*

Sean’s face made intimate contact with the stone tiles. Under the force of momentum, his head plowed a long, deep trench into the road.