Amidst the intoxicating haze of decadence, Raven sat at the center, still and statuesque, like a spectator. The riot of sound and color, the frenzy of indulgence, seemed to have no hold on him. Around him, a crowd of sycophants gathered, all eagerly orbiting him, yet he seemed to exist in a space apart from them, coldly observing the debauched and extravagant scene before him.
The clever man, now one of Raven's trusted subordinates, couldn't help but notice his stillness amidst the chaos. With a hint of deference, he tried to strike up a conversation, hoping to earn favor. "Boss, why just sit there drinking? Don't you want to enjoy yourself a little?"
Raven drank the wine in his glass, his gaze unfazed as he looked around at the debauched party already in full swing. He was a man in the prime of his youth, certainly not impotent. Surrounded by a sea of naked beauties, his body reacted as expected where it needed to, but—he simply wasn't interested. The truth was, he had no desire.
His life was worthless, abandoned by his parents at birth, treated like cattle to be bought and sold. If it weren't for Arabella, he didn't know what kind of life he'd be living now. But did he owe her gratitude? She had treated him like an object, something to be carried around, with no thoughts, no feelings. In fact, it might have been better if he had died back then—at least that would have been simpler.
The sound of slapping bodies not far off echoed incessantly, the soft pants rising and falling like waves. After a while, it felt almost like an illusion. He seemed to be standing at the door of Arabella's room again, just as he had every other day, hearing those sounds from inside, pounding his chest like a great cauldron. His heart swelled with jealousy, a wild, uncontrollable growth of weeds, threatening to choke all his remaining reason. He finally understood why Nicholas had acted against Arabella before—she was either above it all, refusing to let anyone touch her, giving no hope to any man. Why was it that she could wallow in the mire of the world, chaotic and messy, yet still remain utterly untouchable and invincible?
The pants of women reaching their climax snapped him out of his reverie. The vast space around him, filled with dazzling lights, illuminated the entangled bodies. The sway of women's breasts and the open spread of their legs were like a soul-snatching sight. Raven's gaze slowly turned cold. He lowered his head, leaned in close, and murmured softly to his subordinate, "Call over two clean ones."
When Caracal returned to the villa after completing his mission, it was empty. Arabella wasn't there, nor was Bramwell. He didn't know that Taras had arrived, and that Arabella had brought a boy back with her. Seeing no one in the villa, he thought of the hidden training base where Raven had taken his subordinates, a place that Bramwell had found soon after arriving in Jingle.
Jingle's industrial area was already vast and sparsely populated. Under the guise of investment, Bramwell had taken over a factory on the brink of collapse. This family-owned business had deteriorated over generations, with the great-grandson being lazy, greedy, and ignorant, gradually ruining the family fortune. Bramwell seized the opportunity to take over, remodeling the entire factory and creating various secret rooms. The wastrel great-grandson, content with his wealth, was more than happy to take a hands-off approach, showing no interest in the factory's operations.
Caracal believed that Arabella was in this secret base, with Raven following closely behind. When he entered the base, he found that apart from the alert guards, everyone else was engaged in a debauched party. Raven was sitting right in the middle of the orgy, wearing his upper body decently, but his pants zipper was all the way down, revealing a thick, purple-veined shaft of dick rising up from between his legs. On either side of him, kneeling were two beauties, naked from head to toe, with the Jingle words branded on their buttocks, one marking them as a slut, the other indicating the number of times they had been used as bxxtch. Caracal looked at them and thought, "Good, he found two fresh ones." These two fresh sluts were now gaping their mouths and extending their tongues, desperately flattering and licking Raven's hard and swollen dick. They were not entitled to touch their owner with what is called claws, and could only arch their bodies and tried to rub their fair and huge breasts against the owner's thighs. They are desperately twisting their hips and showing a lewd and restless expression in an effort to please their current master.
The women of Jingle were slaves, bought and sold at will, so bringing a group of women to satisfy his subordinates didn't surprise Caracal. What was surprising, however, was that Raven would also seek out women to please him, and it was clear that these women hadn't followed him to Master Unknown's side.
Interesting!
Caracal decisively took a seat on the empty spot of the sofa next to Raven. His identity was well-known among the mercenaries, as the bloody scene when Arabella had arrived left such a strong impression, and thus, they naturally remembered Caracal, who had accompanied her.
Caracal poured himself a glass of wine, swirling the cup as he watched the clear liquid release fine bubbles. The dim, ambiguous lighting in the space blurred the contours of everyone's faces. Caracal was tall, with delicate features that could be described as breathtaking, especially his eyes. The corners of his eyes slightly lifted, giving him an alluring, almost flirtatious gaze when he looked at someone.
He waved away the woman who had been eagerly trying to serve him, and with a smile, he asked, "Did Master Unknown give you time off?"
Raven's style was completely different from Caracal's. He was as rigid as a tree, with every movement exuding a cold, frosty aura. His expression was always distant and aloof, with a hint of indifference and emotional detachment.
When Arabella was mentioned, Raven's expression grew even colder. He spoke, "Why didn't you report back after completing the mission? Why come here instead?"
Caracal shrugged, half-joking as he responded, "You haven't been hanging around here for long, have you? The villa over there is empty, and Master Unknown has disappeared. You don't know where she went, do you?"
Upon hearing that Arabella wasn't there, Raven's heart tightened. But after a moment of worry, he couldn't help but chuckle bitterly. The world was so vast, and if Arabella were alone, she could roam freely wherever she wished. Hiding her tracks would be an easy task. But when he thought about it further, the villa was empty. Arabella wasn't there, neither was Taras, nor Bramwell and that young man. Where could Arabella have taken them? Why hadn't she come to him? Didn't she need him? Three days had passed. Was he always going to be the one left searching?
Having spent years lurking in various places, Caracal was exceptionally skilled at reading people's emotions. Although Raven's expression didn't change, Caracal keenly detected a flash of anger in him. Was this dog planning to bite its master? Caracal's gaze darkened for a moment. He subtly averted his eyes, returning to his usual laid-back demeanor. After a few more drinks, he stood up and said his farewells, "Since Master Unknown isn't here, I'll go look for her. You take your time here."
"Wait a minute -" Raven stood up, pulled up his zipper, and the bulging dick at his crotch was clearly a large package, but he didn't seem to mind. Instead, he fixed his cold gaze on Caracal and continued, "I'll go with you."
Caracal curled his lips, feeling a bit bored. This dog was so obsessed, still unable to let go of Master Unknown after all this time. Should he praise him for his loyalty, or sigh at how inscrutable he was?
In fact, Caracal returned at the wrong time. Raven had been gone for three days, during which there was nothing of note. When Taras returned, he only spent a day with Arabella before heading back to Island to mobilize troops. As Arabella had said, people like them always keep something in reserve. Although Pujivang was the main base of the Abyss, after Julius came to power and suppressed it, it had withered. However, in Island, he secretly left behind a group of loyal subordinates. On the surface, the Abyss seemed to have fallen into disarray without a leader, but in reality, the Destiny had fallen even further, and after the Darnley siblings were gone, the once vast family business was being torn apart by collateral branches. To maintain balance, the Island government left the original north-south divide between the Destiny and the Abyss intact, allowing the Abyss to maintain a strong presence in Island without any damage.
When it comes to using people, Arabella is, of course, very experienced and knows how to deal with the useful subordinates who are good at handling miscellaneous tasks. Most of the people trained in Doma are tough guys, a group of brutes who can secure territory, but they are no good at using their brains or being good at disguising. Moreover, he originally intended to return to Island. Now that Julius has rejoined forces with Arabella, his wanted notice has already been lifted. In order to cooperate with Arabella, Julius would naturally not make things difficult for the people around her. His return to Island would not only allow him to restore the Abyss's former reputation but also give him the opportunity to swallow up the remnants of the Destiny's power. It was a win-win kind of deal. Arabella was trading this for those capable subordinates, making the deal quite favorable. Besides, Arabella had even personally assured him of it.
Arabella's words were damn untrustworthy! Taras stood at the bow of the ship, staring north for a long time. The night turned the starlight reflected in his eyes into fragments, like raindrops. After standing for a while, he turned and went back to the cabin. They say it's never too late to turn back. He could have headed back and distanced himself from Arabella, but instead, he was determined to get closer. He deserved it!
Not long after Taras left, Bramwell was also kept busy. Arabella had arranged for him to accompany the young man, Norris, to find the locally unique ammunition-making materials in Jingle. Bramwell had no idea what Arabella was planning, and he didn't care what evil schemes she had. He had chosen to plunge into the endless hell back then and never expected to see the light of day again. As for Arabella, after sending people out to do work, she stayed in the villa for a while. After half a day, she accepted Julius's invitation and went to see him, which just so happened to coincide with Caracal's return.
