Durin's Diary

The battle in the back hall ended quickly; the security force of the mansion was but a group of mortals, who in this age had never even witnessed such brutal firepower. When Enrique kicked open the door, the guards still drew their swords, ready to fight.

Then there was no more "after that." The arrow-shaped bullets shredded any resistance, once again exposing the fragility and vulnerability of carbon-based life in the face of such projectiles—be they mortals or low-level Transcendents.

Having cleared the entire back hall, Enrique arrived at the front hall only to see the withered patriarch of the Salik family hanging from the chandelier, with a mountain of his dead kin piled underneath him.

And so they began to ascend to the second floor—their meticulous search must leave no stone unturned.

Old Yishu had already obtained the ledger—indeed, the Salik family was cunning; aware that their dealings were the kind to wipe out an entire family, they had meticulously recorded every transaction. The intention was probably to drag their treacherous buyers down with them, but sadly, it was the aggrieved who had arrived.

But no matter, in the end, everyone dies. The downfall of the Salik family was, in essence, the same whether the aggrieved or the betrayers came.

Right now, the Lynx cubs were pouring bag after bag of fish food into the fishpond, while Old Yishu was patiently infusing the area beneath the wooden floor with cold, and the entrance to the cellar was in the mansion's central zone, a place typically reserved for specific family members alone, hidden beneath a trapdoor floor, revealing the stone steps beneath.

Durin used the pistol in his hand to shoot a parrot perched on a bird stand, then he raised the muzzle to take down a fat cat that had been hiding on a beam.

It had been agreed that on this day, everything related to the Salik family within the estate had to die, no matter how cute.

With that in mind, Durin looked at the small fish in the aquarium and eventually threw the whole fish tank out the window; under the fish tank, there was even a stove heating it, ensuring that the water temperature was always suitable for the little fish to survive... truly extravagant.

Putting away the pistol, he lifted the shotgun and turned on the barrel light. Durin, followed by two Lynx cubs, descended into the dungeon.

The Lynx cubs ignited the torches on the wall, and then Durin saw Hell—a row upon row of cells holding numerous children, including Grassland Elves and even more so from other races.

"He spoke before that, aside from selling our children, they would abduct children from other races too. These children have many uses. I have already left a recording Demon Crystal among the corpses," said Old Yishu, who had been brought down, shaking his head in lamentation as he walked up to each cell inspecting them one by one, "They even collect offerings for the Evil Gods, children with purple eyes... Damn it, they would be sold to those chaotic cults, and what awaits them is a certain demise."

Purple eyes, such children are perfect sacrifices for some Evil Gods' rituals, and thus, they are quite valuable.

Durin didn't find any children from his race, though the bastard had also mentioned the last he knew of her was five years ago.

At this thought, Durin sighed, then turned his head to look at the three captives.

The expressions of these three kids were frozen; they knew everything but had never witnessed it with their own eyes.

That's how it is, child traffickers, no matter how crazed, wouldn't directly involve all their captive children in the trafficking itself.

Business is business, children can hear about it, but it's unlikely they would get directly involved, only those who are trusted and capable... can witness madness.

"Bring all the kids to the front hall; we'll start by listing their names, contact the local police station, and let them handle this," Enrique instructed.

With only three aircraft available, they couldn't possibly take so many children, so each child's name was recorded in two registries, one for Durin to keep and one left at the scene, along with the emblem of the God of Vengeance.

The message was simple: I did this on the first day of the month; don't make me do it again on the fifteenth.

As they led the children upstairs, Durin distributed the weapons previously used by the guards to about a dozen older boys amongst the children and took them on a tour of the front hall.

Finally, Durin took over the task from his grandfather, leading the three captive cubs to the pile of corpses.

After changing the magazine, he pulled back the slide with one hand and checked—the bullet was chambered.

The teen who had been comforting his younger siblings all this time stared resolutely at Durin, "You swore to our grandfather that you wouldn't let us suffer."

"Right, so I don't plan on hanging you. How does that sound?" Durin wasn't angered by the older child's words; after all, those children who had been released were already preparing nooses.

Under the same ceiling and the same grand chandelier, an old man already hung; if Durin did not act, there likely would be three more children.

Was it cruel? Indeed, it was brutal. This world is so callous; trafficked children endure untold suffering, their futures altered by the greed of villains, and they may even face death because of those villains.

Yet, the families of the traffickers would flourish, their children receiving love from a young age and even joining the seemingly endless cycle of this business as adults.

But not today. Today, the children of traffickers would also be hanged by the goods. To Durin, this felt right, signifying that the vulnerable understood the most primitive form of vengeance, the direct reprisal, and above all grasping that action speaks countless times louder than words.

The children of this land realized the only one who could redeem them was themselves, not some distant justice from a foreign land, uncertain when it might arrive, nor the high-seated lords whose gaze never seemed to drift downward.

"Thank you," the eldest child could only sigh in the end, "I told grandfather and our family that such a business couldn't last, but they wouldn't listen."

"Yes, such a business cannot last, one day the victim will come knocking, delivering your retribution in person," said Durin, sighing as well. He then raised his gun and shot the youngest boy.

Too young for Durin's conscience to bear, the bullet entered through the chest, bringing down the tender life.

Next was the girl who started crying; she had finally broken. The imminent death was too much for a child, so a bullet in her forehead made her fall backward next to her brother in the pool of blood.

Finally, Durin aimed the gun at the eldest child.

"Anything else you wish to say?" Durin asked.

"If there's an afterlife, wouldn't it be better to be the child of a beggar than to live in this family?" The teenager posed this question to Durin.

"Don't be silly, when you're sick and have no money for treatment, that's when you're truly pitiable. Seize the chance to be a good child in a good family, goodbye." After saying this, Durin pulled the trigger, and the last scion of the Salik family fell into a bloodied heap.

After stowing away his pistol, Durin silently observed the three children lying in a pool of blood for a while.

Pitiable? Of course they were pitiable, the youngest among the three children wasn't even as tall as Durin. But if Durin pitied them, what about the owners of the dried blood on the dungeon walls? What about the purple-eyed sacrificial offerings in the dungeons? What about the children who had been sold in the past?

Every cub this family hurt, trafficked, and sent to their death.

And what about the parents who spent their lives searching for their children, some going mad with grief and dying as a result?

This was the only vengeance Durin could offer to those pitiful children.

Because this land, as well as that world, lacked not laws but justice, and that made justice seem all the more pale.

Civilizations never lacked for heroes in words, only those willing to dirty their hands for the greater good.

A million silent curses can never match the heart-stopping impulse of 'a thought to kill your entire family makes the whole world seem suddenly spacious,' as if dealing with the problem's creator instead of the problem itself is some sort of deadly extension of a hellish joke.

But... this method was truly effective.

Like a bullet is the cure for a terminal disease, a single course of treatment, requiring just one shot.

Thinking of this, Durin turned to gaze at his own children.

Many among them were bowing in salute to Durin.

Finally, the frozen expression on Durin's face softened slightly—Your gratitude is the best reward I've received today.

.........

After dealing with the affairs in the hall, Durin took the fish blasting tools to the cemetery, where old Enrique had led the lynx cubs ahead to make holes directly into every coffin under the grave plates in the Salik family burial area.

Did you think the so-called scattering of ashes meant Grassland Elves would spend half a day digging up all this stone and dirt, then open the coffins to throw bones all over the place?

The times have changed, gentlemen, now there is a better way.

Having set the detonators and installed the arcane triggers, Durin and the lynx cubs boarded the incoming flying vehicle and ascended to a safe altitude before Durin pressed the detonator.

With the final process completed, old Enrique shot a clip with the video crystal in his hand as a record, then the flying vehicles merged and began to retreat.

"Well done, kid, bringing you along today really gave me a whole new perspective." On the way home, old Yishu was very pleased.

"Science and technology change the course of life, Grandpa. You can learn to welcome and embrace new things just like me," said Durin, then squinted at the back of his hand.

The targets Durin shot not only added 18,272 experience to Durin's Magician Experience pool but also added 9,136 experience to Durin's Common Experience pool.

Durin's status now was:

Durin Lili Elsh

Old Profession System: Magician.

Level: Fourth Ring Magician (Level Seven)

Common Experience Pool: 9416

Magician Experience Pool: 18272/34000

Attributes:

Strength: 11

Agility: 18

Constitution: 16

Intelligence: 13

Perception: 23

Charisma: 30

It added quite a lot, no wonder everyone says 'commit arson and murder and you'll be rewarded with gold,' but Durin had a bit of a moral scruple, just like how villains are never the weeds in the fields.

So, before I earn more, I might as well save it up.