Witch, Fireball and the Evil God of Steam
Chapter 113 - 112: Miracle Creation

Chapter 113: Chapter 112: Miracle Creation

The crossbow arrow that should have pierced the body of the noble’s eldest son was intercepted by a silver-white light before it hit, and the casino thugs closed in on the assailant holding the crossbow arrow, who was quickly overwhelmed and pinned to the ground without any effective resistance.

Everyone in the casino froze in place, as if hit by a petrification spell, including the small boss who had been conversing with Ethan.

Ethan saw him stiffen up, even stopping his breath.

This state persisted for nearly half a minute before the small boss snapped out of it, angrily running toward the assailant pinned on the ground. Even from a distance, Ethan could hear his furious shout, "Hit him hard, beat him up!"

In an instant, fists and feet rained down upon the assailant, who offered no resistance, merely curling up on the ground with his hands protecting his head.

The noble’s eldest son finally awoke from his slumber, his eyes bewildered, seemingly unaware of the attack on him. He turned to see the thugs beating a middle-aged man and frowned unhappily, barking, "It’s too noisy, drag him outside!"

"Outside, all of you, get out! Are you idiots unable to understand Aisoke’s orders?"

The thugs stiffened with fear, dragging the man out of the casino with all hands. Once the commotion subsided, the small boss timidly approached Aisoke, nervously recounting what had happened.

Aisoke showed no expression, seemingly calm, but in front of the thugs, he pulled out his revolver and aimed at the small boss’s knee.

Aisoke: "You mean this is due to your negligence."

"Of course, but—"

"Bang!"

The small boss’s excuse was cut off by the gunshot. The burly man clutched the bullet wound in his knee tightly, his body curled in pain, drenched in sweat, yet he dared not utter a single cry. After lying on the ground for several minutes, he finally spoke, "I will handle this matter properly and give you a satisfactory outcome."

Aisoke, still under the influence of a hangover, stretched out his left hand, counting one by one, "Father, mother, brothers, sisters, and if there is a wife and children, you have one morning to bring everyone together. Miss one, and you’ll eat a bullet."

"I’ll get it done right away!"

After giving these orders, Aisoke staggered to his feet, walking straight out of the casino to stand before the blood-covered assailant, looking down at him from above, he said calmly, "We’ll meet in the afternoon."

"That is a miraculous artifact."

Taking advantage of the fearful state everyone was in, Cat Cat leaned in and whispered in Ethan’s ear. Ethan lowered his voice to softly respond, "Miraculous artifact?"

"Essentially, it’s the same as a cursed object; the distinction is made based on the differentiation between the proper Gods and the Evil God. It should be the necklace he wears around his neck, appearing to be crafted by a high-tier priest from the church."

The silver-white light is the symbol of the divine power of the two proper Gods worshiped by the Empire. In the past, priests’ healing and protection, along with knights’ holy seals and blessings, made them invincible, at least until firearms became widespread. The Empire’s army was once the symbol of invincibility on the battlefield.

"It’s not surprising. If a single crossbow-wielding assailant could easily assassinate this eldest son, he would have been dead long ago."

Saying that, she added, "However, miraculous artifacts cannot resist ascension elemental magic."

If she wished, during the small boss and Aisoke’s conversation, she could have turned him into a pile of ice shards, but she felt this suddenly appearing assailant was no accident, likely connected to the case they were investigating.

Ethan felt his earlobe was somewhat damp, suspecting that Cat Cat might have secretly licked his ear while whispering.

Cat Cat is capable of keeping calm, never letting emotions ruin an investigation due to whims.

Moreover, she was curious about how Ethan would manage to have Aisoke dragged out onto the street and executed in broad daylight, a far more challenging task than an assassination.

The reactions of everyone in the casino illustrated everything.

A single glance from Aisoke was enough to terrify them into silence. Those vicious thugs dared not show dissatisfaction even after being shot by Aisoke; it was only after he’d been gone for a while that the small boss barked at his subordinates, "What are you standing around for? Quickly take me to find a doctor!"

The shot had pierced his knee, and worse still, if he didn’t get immediate disinfecting and bandaging, the wound would become infected, leading to a possible amputation or a severe fever and death.

The small boss was keenly aware of his predicament. If he lost a leg, he would lose his value to the corporation.

In Gear City, individuals like him who lost value could only wait for death in the gutter.

"Let’s investigate that assailant!"

Cat Cat excitedly proposed, appearing to relish in chaos, "Only someone insane would attack Aisoke in front of so many people."

Unfortunately, the assailant used a crossbow suited for hunting. If he’d used a weapon manufactured by Old Sen Magical Technology, he might have succeeded.

Before the small boss was carried out by his men, Ethan blocked his path, proactively saying, "It seems you need someone to help you dig deeper in the investigation. I know some simple and effective methods."

He wasn’t worried the other party would reject him. He had overheard their conversation; Aisoke gave only a morning’s time, and when this small boss was sent to the casino to treat his wound, the situation would be far too late, and by then, he would probably have several new wounds.

"What methods?"

The small boss looked dazed, his voice trembling non-stop, his face pale. Despite having received prompt bandaging, he couldn’t completely stop the bleeding.

"Truth serum, all you need is one bottle of magic potion to make him confess everything he knows. This matter might relate to the case I’m investigating, and I can do you this favor."

Upon hearing this, the small boss’s expression darkened and lightened repeatedly. He suspected the Reception Bureau investigator before him had ulterior motives, but he badly needed to get to the hospital and might pass out during the treatment.

Could he entrust his life to this investigator whom he’d met only once?

The small boss stared intently at Ethan, reminded of his subordinates who were good for nothing but fighting, who would likely use violence to interrogate, possibly beating the assailant to death before he could confess anything.

He had no other choice.

"I hope you don’t make me take any more bullets."

"I can guarantee that."

Ethan was a man of his word. In his view, preventing the small boss from being shot again could be achieved in many ways, not necessarily only by uncovering the truth.

Having met once, he had a rough understanding of Aisoke the eldest son’s character.

Even if they truly uncovered the truth and brought the assailant’s family before him, this eldest son might end up shooting the small boss with an excuse like "I don’t eat beef."

Ethan noticed Aisoke hadn’t blinked as he fired, nor considered the possibility of the small boss retaliating.

Perhaps in this eldest son’s life, he had never encountered anyone daring to defy him.

The situation in Gear City had plummeted to freezing point; Kingdom Army officers suspected the Evil God’s followers had infiltrated the city, waiting to act.

With that in mind, Ethan made a decision.

He had come to better understand the rules of this world.

—When someone suspects you to be an Evil God’s follower, you’d better truly be one.