"You name?" Teto asked, watching the eyes of the thug slowly open in response. He was drooling, appearing somewhat deranged, part asleep and part lucid.
He was in a state of forced awareness, akin to a dream walk where his thoughts would be laid out bare. Upon hearing Teto's question, his eyes darted to and fro the three individuals, unfocused as his mouth moved, causing a slurring voice to resound, "Duuvvulong…"
"What?" Teto frowned.
"Duuvvvvuloooong…" The thug said, flinching as if he was bitten by an insect on his bum.
"Duvulong?" Teto asked.
"Yeahhhh…" The thug nodded.
"What's your relationship with Luthak?" He asked next.
"He's the bosss of my…bosss." The thug responded, on the verge of falling asleep.
"Can you wake him up further?" Teto stared at Horan, "He's barely responsive in this state."
"But, this is also when he's completely truthful." Horan said, "If his mind becomes clearer, there might be lies mixed into whatever he says. This might take time, but the information won't be false."
"Alright," Teto nodded and continued to interrogate the thug. In truth, he had already unearthed more information through the thoughts generated by the thug when questioned. They were clearer and held more volume of information than what he managed to utter.
And the emotions accompanying these thoughts were the best proof of whether or not they were the truth. After an hour of interrogation, they managed to obtain some information.
Duvulong was only a low-level thug that worked on kidnapping people. Following that, he left everyone in charge of his boss that led their gang. But, their boss was a mere Master Warrior, not strong enough to maintain such a large gang in the city without any problems.
And of course, the one protecting him was Luthak. Strength-wise, Luthak too was only a Master Warrior. But, it seems he was part of a dangerous organisation that allowed him to survive even in volatile territories.
Duvulong didn't have any idea regarding Luthak beyond that as Horan just dropped him on the rooftop of a random building in the alleyway, amidst a pile of junk. He wouldn't be waking up for at least a day.
There was no reason for Horan to stain his hands with the blood of a thug. He could casually turn them all to the authorities and gain authority in the place. That would prove to be useful when he meets his fiancé, Princess Lelumi Xetuka.
Gehera stayed behind in the hotel as Horan and Teto moved into the alley, capturing some more thugs to interrogate. Most of them didn't know much about anything regarding Luthak.
But eventually, they captured the right-hand man of the boss that controlled this region and reported directly to Luthak.
"Boss Luthak has arrived here in preparation for the Birdmen invasion set to happen tomorrow." The right-hand man said while being controlled by Horan.
"An invasion by the Birdmen?" Horan frowned. The Birdmen Kingdom of Burnak existed to the west of the Xetuka Kingdom and was a rather neutral region.
The Birdmen typically fought against the Lizardmen Kingdom of Lethuna to the south as both sides treated each other as enemies.
But, they were diplomatic allies with the Xetuka Kingdom due to both of them sharing borders with the Giant Race of Gormana on the north and the Lizardmen race of Lethuna to the south.
The last thing both sides wanted was to war with one another, for that would only cripple their forces, making them weaker against their shared enemies.
So, Xetuka Kingdom didn't have any strong forts to its west and similarly, the Burnak Kingdom too didn't have any strong forts in its east.
But, the thug claimed that the Birdmen were planning to invade the next day? All of a sudden!
It just didn't make sense as Horan frowned, "Have those birdbrains lost their damn heads?"
"They are desperate ever since their new King came to power." The right-hand man said, "Their guardian Saint died recently and their older powers have vanished mysteriously. In their weakened state, they have to do something to strengthen themselves."
He then continued, "And, their goal is the Xetuka Kingdom's prized Relic…"
"Starfall!"
"Starfall…" Horan became solemn immediately, aware of the might of Starfall. This was the Relic that allowed the Xetuka Kingdom to exist for more than two millennia in such a dangerous region.
"What's a Relic?" Teto frowned.
"Ahh, you don't know about that…" Horan informed him of the basics regarding Relics, frowning as he was shocked as to how the thug before him was aware of such details regarding Relics.
After all, only Pseudo-Saints and above had the qualifications to learn of their existence.
But, a mere Expert Warrior before him was aware of such a closely-guarded secret?
'Something is indeed up with this organisation.' He could feel his heart rate accelerating in response, sensing that he had grabbed onto the tail of a mythical serpent. If he were to let go, he would be bitten to death.
And the only way to survive was to either pacify the serpent or crush its head. And, he planned to do the latter, after all, his goal too was Starfall.
Starfall was created by generations of Mages that wielded the Elements of Fire, Lightning, and Metal in succession.
The technique regarding the creation of such a complex Relic was an exclusive power of the Xetuka Kingdom, a reason they could stand against long-lived races such as the Giants.
As he was the fiancé of Lelumi Xetuka, once they married, he would obtain the chance to interact with Starfall. So, he of course would ensure that it didn't fall into the hands of their enemies.
This was no longer something he could casually participate in due to interest alone. Now, they directly targeted his benefits.
Horan glared at the thug, asking with a chilling tone, "What else?"
"That's all that I know. Even my boss only knows this much. For anything more, Luthak is the only option." The thug replied.
"Alright, your work here is done then." Horan said, tasing the thug unconscious before tossing him onto the pile of garbage, looking at Teto as he said, "It seems to be something beyond what you can handle. It's for the best if you pull out from this."
