96: The Deity in the Clock Tower
Leticia's words made the old man's expression freeze. He was indeed in a difficult position now. He couldn't just let these people go directly, could he?
Using 'Fog City' once, the materials he consumed were almost half the value of his payment. Just letting these people go like this would mean he'd lose big.
"Yes, your threats are completely useless to us." Qila also agreed with her sister's view. "You should directly ask these two young ladies here for money. What's the point of looking for me and this person?"
Using a completely unknown human to threaten two demons—was this old man's brain broken?
"Eh?!" The Guild Leader blinked in surprise. "But I don't have money."
Of course she wouldn't ask Leticia to agree to this old man's conditions. Leticia didn't know Blonde Youth at all. Friend of a friend—that relationship was quite distant.
"Hah, all I want is money. I don't want your lives." The old man was so angry at the girls' words that his veins bulged. "If it really doesn't work, write an IOU."
"I feel his brain really has problems. This is kidnapping, and he can actually accept IOUs for payment?" Leticia quietly complained.
"He probably just doesn't want to lose face, because his plan has already failed." Qila somewhat understood the old man's thinking. Since he'd lost substance, he couldn't lose face too, right?
Unfortunately, Leticia wasn't willing to give the old man any face. Daring to threaten her—he should look in a mirror to see what he looked like.
"I advise you to stop thinking about nonsense and quickly let us out. I can still overlook your offense, otherwise I'll let you know exactly what terrifying existence you've provoked." Leticia crossed her arms, her tone revealing a hint of faint pride.
As if the old man was just a little mouse before her, and her not pursuing the matter was already the greatest mercy to him.
"Seems there's nothing to discuss?" The old man gripped his walking stick tightly, his voice full of coldness. "Don't doubt whether I'll take action."
"Wait!" Lu Siyu, who had been idle for a long time, quickly spoke up. She couldn't bear to watch her partner be killed before her eyes.
"You're not planning to agree to him, are you?" Leticia looked at Lu Siyu curiously. She remembered that the Hero Association wouldn't agree to enemy conditions because of captured hostages.
Otherwise, wouldn't those bad guys constantly capture hostages to bargain with heroes?
Negotiating with bad guys? That was the worst choice.
Even if they eliminated both the hostages and the bad guys together, it would be better than bowing to bad guys.
"Siyu, we can't agree to him." Xia Hongying grabbed Lu Siyu's hand and shook her head firmly. "This is the Association's rule. We can't violate rules because he's our partner."
If they let this bad guy taste some sweetness, wouldn't he escalate in the future?
With 'Fog City,' such a strange item, he had the complete ability to capture people without anyone knowing. If other innocents got hurt because of their compromise, would they still have the face to continue being heroes?
"Then we just watch Blonde Youth die? He's our classmate, our partner!" Lu Siyu shouted quietly. "I can't do it!"
"Sometimes, people have to force themselves to do things they can't do." Leticia said with feeling. "Only after experiencing bone-deep pain will a person grow."
"Hey, old man over there, if you want to kill the hostage, go ahead. But after you do, I won't be so easy to talk to."
"You're threatening me?" The old man was stunned.
"I'm quite curious about this thing of yours. If you could transfer it to me, then I could pretend nothing happened regarding your actions." Leticia nodded. She was indeed threatening this old man.
Logically speaking, with such a magical thing appearing before her eyes, how could she not be envious?
This was something that could even trap her inside. This thick fog would also severely interfere with her perception—no matter how you looked at it, it was an invaluable rare item.
If she could obtain it, she could completely trap people she found displeasing inside here and deal with them properly.
Although there were basically no people she couldn't beat in direct confrontation, if she really encountered someone she couldn't beat, she could also use this thing to forcibly delay time. Its strategic value was enormous.
Look at our combat ace Miss Bai—she was still trapped in the fog.
The old man's expression began a series of changes, making people want to sigh at how rich expressions on one face could be.
Finally, he tapped his walking stick. "I'll put him on top of the clock tower. Whether you can save him depends on your own abilities."
In the end, he didn't dare to actually kill. As an intermediary, he never did things absolutely.
This time he was originally trying to snatch that book. Now this goal had basically failed, and making more enemies really wasn't wise.
These three brats were young but quite capable. They should be the darlings of those old folks at the Hero Association. If one really died by his hands, he probably couldn't stay in Central City anymore.
"As for how to convince that person to let you out, that's not my concern."
After speaking, the old man disappeared back into the thick fog.
He had gained nothing this time, instead losing a bunch of things, which made him feel extremely regretful.
He shouldn't have been greedy and waded into these murky waters.
After the old man left, Leticia looked at the clock tower before her, thinking about the last words the old man had left.
Convince.
Who did they need to convince?
Could it be that the old man wasn't the one controlling this fog city?
This answer was resolved when she stepped into the clock tower's interior.
"Welcome, welcome. Finally waited for you. Looks like that old man is somewhat useful after all—it wasn't in vain that I kept him alive all this time." A clear voice echoed inside the bright clock tower. A girl in white clothes floated in mid-air, using those eyes covered in mist to gaze at the girls who had entered the clock tower.
"Who are you? Are you the true master of 'Fog City'?" Leticia felt the girl's gaze constantly scanning various parts of her body, which made her very uncomfortable.
"That's right. I'm the master here, the ruler of fog, the God of Fog." The girl spread her arms and spoke a long string of words with a solemn expression.
"God?"
"Yes, God." The girl looked at Leticia, the corners of her mouth slowly curving into an arc. "I want to make a deal with you."
"Oh? I don't like making deals." Leticia had a natural distrust of this neurotic girl.
"This isn't up to you. I've been trapped here for countless years. Finally finding a suitable vessel—no matter what, you're not leaving today."