They all call me Great Master-Chapter 563 - 560 Arthur: Am I sneaky and deceptive?

Old Town in South Los was even more dilapidated and cramped than imagined.

The uneven rooftops, the pockmarked roads, all in all, it was more than twice as bad as Mule Street in Dort District, where at least Arthur could still sense a shred of decency.

But in Old Town?

All the streets gave off one feeling—

Decay!

It was the kind of decay that had seen splendor, then complete desolation, and was then truly shattered in the real sense of the word.

One might even say it was...

Shattered to pieces!

Before the 'Seven Years' War' began, Old Town in South Los, apart from Shire District, was the most affluent area and, moreover, it had the largest population.

But with the start of the 'Seven Years' War,' a large number of men from Old Town were conscripted, and everything changed.

Especially after The Old Earl of South Los suffered a defeat on the battlefield and Old Town had to conscript a large number of men again, the decline became unstoppable.

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During those seven years, every household in Old Town of South Los sent at least two men to the battlefield.

Sometimes, an entire family of men would go to war.

And after the war ended, how many could return to South Los?

Less than thirty percent.

Therefore, to maintain the prosperity of South Los as before, The Old Earl began to accept a large number of people left homeless after the war.

This was a necessity.

But it was also something that was absolutely criticized.

The influx of a large number of outsiders naturally led to conflicts with the original inhabitants.

Especially in Old Town, where there was a shortage of men, the conflicts were particularly common.

To address this, The Old Earl then established New Town.

New Town was originally created to accommodate newcomers, but the better living conditions also attracted people from Old Town.

Then, Dort District, filled with factories, emerged.

Its attraction was even greater.

As a result, Old Town was drained of the last bit of vitality.

Those who stayed in Old Town were, apart from the elderly, helpless families, and people with special circumstances.

Although it was slightly better than other places, the somber atmosphere was enough to make Marinda frown.

"I came here during this year's 'Summer Celebration Day.'

Back then, it was still much more vibrant than now."

The lady said.

"It's winter now, too cold, vitality is all hidden away."

Arthur said this as he stood up his walking stick.

Marinda saw Arthur's posture and knew what he wanted to do.

Staff positioning!

When you're lost, you can stand up your own staff!

The head of the staff will guide you in the direction you desire!

In South Los, Inner Bay, many novice adventure enthusiasts liked to do this.

And the final outcome?

Those with money and power continued their adventurous lives.

Those without money and power became the purest of fertilizers, nourishing nature and those who told them about the benefits of adventuring.

Of course, the existence of survivorship bias, in fact, made staff positioning quite popular to some extent.

Lucky people are always enviable, aren't they?

However, this does not include Marinda.

The lady watched Arthur and couldn't help but hold her forehead, looking very regretful,

"Regretting it?

Heh heh heh, too late!"

Arthur looked at Marinda with a strange laugh, then released his palm.

As he let go of his palm, the staff carved with Pendragon's cat head fell straight in one direction—of course, it didn't fall completely.

Just before the staff was about to touch the ground completely, Arthur caught it.

He certainly didn't wish for his staff to roll into the sewage.

Marinda glanced over.

"Doing that will greatly reduce the 'accuracy'!"

The lady said, striding forth.

"'Accuracy'?

Do you really believe in that kind of thing?

"It's never 100%, not even 99%. It's inaccurate—just like justice that arrives late."

Arthur shrugged his shoulders and followed.

"Can justice that arrives late still be called justice?

If justice can be delayed, then revenge is justified.

An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth!

A blood debt must be paid with blood!"

Marinda frowned, and then, she let out a cold snort.

Clearly, with this lady's character, she was destined not to approve of such an argument.

And Arthur?

He was clapping softly at the side.

However, what he said was,

"You're wrong."

"Hm?"

Marinda looked at Arthur, curiosity flickering in her eyes.

She knew Arthur well enough to understand that he was not a 'kind' person; angering him and hoping for peaceful days was out of the question.

Therefore, Marinda was somewhat looking forward to Arthur's opinion.

"A blood debt must be paid with blood!

And what's more, you need to—

Eradicate them root and branch!"

Arthur said with a smile on his face.

Bright lights appeared in Marinda's deep blue eyes; she agreed with Arthur's words, of course, that was internally. Outwardly?

The lady feigned disdain and retorted,

"Heh, eradicating root and branch is easy to say but hard to do.

At the simplest, what would you do when facing a child?"

"Simple, give him a knife and a piece of candy."

Arthur laughed.

A knife and candy?

Even with Marinda's intelligence, she was momentarily caught off guard.

Arthur continued—

"Give him a choice between the knife and candy.

If he chooses the knife, it proves he has a murderous intent, and such a child cannot be spared!

If he chooses the candy, it proves he is cunning, and such a child cannot be spared!

If he chooses both, it proves he is extremely greedy, and such a child cannot be spared!

If he chooses neither, it proves he is utterly rebellious, and such a child cannot be spared!"

Marinda was startled.

Afterward, the lady looked at Arthur and made her assessment.

"To kill is to kill; yet you find so many excuses.

You really are a sinister and hypocritical person!"

As for Arthur, he was still smiling.

"Am I sinister and hypocritical?

If I were sinister, I'd pretend to leave, come back in disguise, and as soon as I enter, I'd cry out loudly, 'Too late! Too late! I'm still one step behind!'

Then, pretending to be shocked upon discovering him, I'd joyously prepare to take him away.

If he had brothers or sisters, they would surely emerge from some secret chamber or passageway I didn't know about.

At that time, I would take care of all of them.

After that?

Of course, I'd come back in disguise again, extremely grief-stricken, to collect my friend's body, bury him, and check for any that slipped through the net."

It was evening, but the dim light shining on Arthur's smiling face was chilling.

The coachman who had brought Arthur and Marinda just now had been planning to take a return fare, but after hearing Arthur's words, he turned the carriage around without a second thought, whipped up the horses, and ran off directly.

The coachman was scared.

Probably to the point of having nightmares.

Yet Marinda was contemplating seriously.

After a while, she nodded in apparent approval.

"Good idea!"

Marinda exclaimed, then asked curiously—

"And what if it's hypocrisy?"