On the street outside the Tribunal, there was a dedicated carriage that was always on standby. Hollett got into the carriage, put away his umbrella, and said to the coachman in front, "Go straight home tonight. It's raining heavily, so drive slowly on the road."
"Yes," the coachman in front replied in a low voice.
The carriage slowly started moving and went along the street in the torrential rain.
Hollett sat on the comfortable cotton cushion in the carriage and gently rubbed the center of his eyebrows. With a lot of affairs recently, he felt a bit tired. He let out a deep sigh, picked up the silver teapot on the carriage table, and poured himself a cup of strong tea. However, he saw that there was no steam rising from the cup. He reached out and touched the teacup, and it was still cold. He couldn't help feeling annoyed and said to the coachman in front, "Prepare hot water before I get off work in the future."
"Yes!" The coachman in front replied in a low voice.
Hollett sighed, leaned against the soft cushion behind him, closed his eyes, and quietly rested his mind.
The heavy rain pattered down outside the carriage. The streets in the commercial district were extremely smooth, and there were few bumps and shakes along the way.
After a long time, the carriage slowly stopped.
Hollett also slowly opened his eyes. Thinking that the wind was strong outside, he tightened the collar of his clothes, pushed open the carriage door, picked up the umbrella by his side, opened it, and got out of the carriage.
"Hmm?" Hollett looked at the street in front of him and was stunned. Although the heavy rain blurred his vision, he could still see that this was a strange street.
Before he could turn his head, suddenly there was a pain in the back of his head, and his eyes went dark. He immediately fainted. The umbrella fell, and the heavy rain quickly soaked his body, submerging him in the accumulated water on the road.
A figure dragged his arm and pulled him into an ordinary house by the roadside. Then the figure came out, picked up the umbrella on the ground, tied the carriage to a nearby post, and then re-entered the house and gently closed the door.
With a splash, a basin of cold water suddenly poured over Hollett's head, waking him up. His neatly combed hair fell over his face. He quickly looked around and immediately saw a dim oil lamp hanging in front of him, which was a bit dazzling. Under the lamp was a thin and slender figure. As his eyes gradually adjusted, he also clearly saw the other person's face. It was a teenager. With his many years of experience in judging people, he instantly judged that the other person's age was definitely not more than eighteen years old.
"Who are you?" Hollett struggled slightly and then saw that his hands were tied behind a post. He didn't panic but quickly turned cold and asked.
Dudian squatted down and looked at him, saying, "Guess."
Hollett snorted coldly and said, "Could it be that you're the family member or friend of some criminal I've judged?"
Dudian smiled slightly. "It seems that Deacon Hollett still has some self-awareness and knows that he has offended a lot of people. Then I'll give you a little reminder. Three years ago, you judged a case of huge theft. Do you remember?"
"Huge theft case?" Hollett frowned slightly, thought for a moment, and said, "There was such a thing. Are you an accomplice in that theft case?"
"No, I'm the person involved in that case."
Hollett was immediately stunned.
"I want to know what means the Blom family used to make you, a dignified deacon of the Tribunal, submit to them and work for them," Dudian said with a smile. "Was it money, power, or something else?"
Hollett gave him a deep look and fell silent. After a while, he said, "If I remember correctly, the crime you committed back then was judged to be a death sentence with a reprieve of five years. You're able to appear here. Either you have a powerful background or you escaped from prison yourself, right?"
"You just need to answer my question," Dudian said softly as he pinched a lock of his hair.
Hollett sneered and said, "Do you think I'll bow down to a criminal? You underestimate the deacon of the Tribunal too much. I advise you to surrender yourself and go back to prison obediently. At least you can live for another year or two."
"Won't bow down?" Dudian smiled slightly. The fingers that were pinching a lock of his hair suddenly pulled down. Hollett's head was immediately pulled down, and he grimaced in pain. "Huh? Why did you lower your head?"
Hollett raised his head angrily. As soon as he raised it, Dudian grabbed the hair on his forehead and forced his head down.
"Your pride and persistence can't withstand just a little pain," Dudian said with a smile.
Hollett was so angry that his body trembled slightly, and his chest heaved violently. He gritted his teeth and said, "It's no use for you to torture me. Even if you kill me, your crime can't be changed. Moreover, if you kill me, you'll also expose yourself. The death of a Tribunal deacon will surely alarm the entire Tribunal, and then everyone will be sent out to hunt you down!"
"How touching," Dudian sighed. "I really hope that everyone can think of the enemy like you do when they're about to die. Such a broad mind is really moving. Unfortunately, I didn't come to you to ask you to change my criminal record. I just want to know who were the people involved in this case back then?"
Hollett struggled a couple of times, but his head was tightly pulled down by his hair. He gritted his teeth slightly and said, "This matter happened too long ago. I have to go back to the Tribunal and look it up to know."
Dudian smiled and said, "I'll help you remember. Your wife is good-looking, and your daughter is also very pretty. What do you think would happen if I sent them to the brothels in the slum district?"
Hollett's body trembled, and he said angrily, "You scoundrel! If you lay a finger on them, I won't let you go even if I become a ghost!"
"If there really are gods and ghosts, I believe that with the number of criminals you've dealt with, Deacon Hollett, you shouldn't have lived until today, right?" Dudian said softly. "My patience is limited, and the rain is about to stop. I hope we can have a pleasant cooperation next. You answer whatever I ask. After all, it's quite troublesome to transport your wife and daughter to the slum district. Don't make things difficult for me, okay?"
Hollett turned his neck and stared fiercely at Dudian. Finally, he slowly lowered his head and said, "If you want to take revenge, you should go after the Blom family and the Milan family. They conspired together in this matter."
Dudian smiled and said, "I naturally know that. But the one who played a decisive role was you, a highly respected deacon of the Tribunal. The prestige you've accumulated makes your words highly credible. Even if they're wrong, people will believe you immediately because of your prestige and won't believe an insignificant suspect."
Hollett was taken aback for a moment and fell silent.
"Besides these two big families, are there no other people involved?" Dudian asked.
Hollett shook his head slightly and said, "No." After a pause, he looked up at Dudian and said, "Aren't you a junior hunter? If you let me go, I have a way to send you outside the Wall."
Dudian slowly shook his head and turned to the side of the room. Hollett noticed that there was a bunch of roses on the table there. He saw Dudian pick up two sharp steel nails from beside the flowers, which were stained with patches of blood.
"This is a special gift prepared for you. I hope you'll like it," Dudian turned back and smiled.