Free Web NovelChapter 543: Chapter 544: Hound Knight and the Thousand-Faced Thief_1
"Duboman..." Aiden recalled the information associated with this name.
"Duboman? Are you referring to Mr. ’Hound Knight’ Duboman?" Veronica suddenly spoke up at that moment.
"You actually know about him," Deborah said, looking at Veronica with surprise.
"He’s actually still alive, and he has a daughter?" Veronica’s eyes widened.
Duboman, who had started his operations in the Empire eighty years before and became a famous free Bounty Hunter of the Southern Continent, brought countless criminals to justice, leaving behind many heroic deeds across the continent. His tales were adapted by the renowned writer "Fantasist" into the best-selling "Hound Knight Series" that has been serialized in "Adventurer" magazine for over a decade, and has also been turned into comics and operas.
Aiden’s memories held the related deeds of this Bounty Hunter; his predecessor’s childhood and adolescence seemed to have been swept up in the superhero "Hound Knight" craze like other boys of that era. Only, in the end, he hadn’t become a Bounty Hunter but found a more practical profession.
Judging by Veronica’s reaction, she seemed to be fond of "Hound Knight" as well.
After helping Sophie Carter with her request, Aiden learned more about this legendary figure. The intelligence network of the Smile Balance showed that the legendary Bounty Hunter Duboman was actually a saint of the "Order" authority.
But the intelligence from Smile Balance also revealed that Duboman had left the Southern Continent fifty years ago for the northern frontier lands and had not been heard from since.
"Mr. Aiden, have you never heard of him?" Seeing that Aiden didn’t reply for a moment, Deborah’s expression turned somewhat disappointed.
"No, there are few in this world who haven’t heard of him, his deeds have been adapted into at least six novels, already making up a series," Aiden shrugged, "But if Mr. Duboman is still alive today, he must be a centenarian by now. You say you’re his daughter, so you..."
"Actually, I’m his adopted daughter, or more accurately, his apprentice," Deborah explained.
People related to the "Order" authority saints, is this the last piece of the puzzle Melissa sourced for him?
He couldn’t afford to take this lightly. The woman before him was a stranger, and her words couldn’t be fully trusted. There was no evidence to support her claim as Duboman’s apprentice. The Southern Continent and the Northern Continent were not connected by telegraph, only the Empire’s ships traversed the distance, and information between the two lands was relatively isolated—verifying events from the Northern Continent while in the Southern Continent was difficult.
Of course, using the "Wordless Code" could determine whether her words were true or false, but he preferred to converse more to draw out additional information first.
"I heard that fifty years ago, Duboman pursued a wanted criminal to the frontier lands and then all contact was lost," Aiden said, "Many people assumed he was dead."
"Not dead, but in hiding," Deborah shook her head gently, "He fell in love with the criminal he was chasing, took on a new identity, and settled in the Northern Continent, living there for decades." ƒrēewebnoѵёl.cσm
"The last criminal he pursued, it wasn’t ’Thousand-Face Liv,’ was it?" Veronica interjected once more, her voice tinged with barely concealed excitement.
Thousand-Face Liv, in fact, belonged to the characters in the books, a popular female character in the "Hound Knight Series." In the stories, she was a thief who robbed the rich to help the poor in a world backed by bureaucratic systems, excelling at disguises and impersonation, always playing a friend and foe to the protagonist, a renowned Bounty Hounter the protagonist tirelessly pursued, who fought against him several times. However, when dealing with powerful villains, she would offer proactive help to the hero, joining him in battle.
Of course, the Thousand-Face Liv Veronica mentioned wasn’t the character from the books but the real-life inspiration for the character.
Historically, there indeed was a mysterious thief Liv, a female burglar who had numerous storied encounters with the Bounty Hunter Duboman.
Aiden realized that Veronica must also be quite obsessed with the "Hound Knight Series," otherwise she certainly wouldn’t have inserted her comments so obliviously in such a conversation. frёewebηovel.cѳm
"Yes, the mysterious thief, Thousand-Face Liv, is my mother," Deborah affirmed with a smile, "I was born in the frontier lands, abandoned by my birth parents, and grew up in the slums. It was by some fortuitous coincidence that I met my mother, and ultimately, I was adopted by the couple."
"Your background is enough to land you a headline in the ’Empire Newspaper’," Aiden said.
"I’m about to make it there, but not for my background, but for my work," Deborah smiled.
"What do you mean?" Aiden asked.
"I can’t say just yet." Deborah mysteriously placed a finger on her lips, "But Mr. Aiden, if you are interested in getting to know me better, I can explain in detail."
Veronica couldn’t help but feel a bit anxious upon hearing this. Deep communication? Was it physical depth or spiritual depth—
At that thought, she suddenly wanted to smack herself on the forehead. What was she even thinking? Why were her thoughts drifting more and more towards that damned succubus?
"It seems we don’t have much time for a detailed discussion; there is a time limit for using the meeting room," Aiden said calmly, "And we’ll have to get back to work soon."
"Then we can talk more at night, or on the weekend if you’re busy on weekdays," Deborah suggested slyly, smiling, "When are you available?"
After a moment of thought, Aiden replied, "Sunday."
Veronica took a sharp breath.
"Then, I’ll get ready. I’ll send a message to let you know the place once it’s booked, is that okay?" Deborah asked with a smile.
"That’s fine," Aiden nodded.
"If you won’t accept the gift, you’ll at least take the bouquet, won’t you?" Deborah asked, lifting the bouquet.
"Place it on the table. I’ll have someone decorate it in an appropriate place," Aiden nodded again.
"I really wish today was Sunday," Deborah set down the bouquet and blew Aiden a kiss, winking her left eye, "Looking forward to our date."
"Don’t forget to bring your gift," Aiden reminded.
After Deborah had left, Aiden turned around to find Veronica had just been staring at his back with a look of dejection.
The moment she met Aiden’s gaze, Veronica immediately composed herself, pretending as if nothing had happened.
After several seconds of silence, Veronica cautiously spoke up, "Commander, are you really going to keep that appointment?"
"The other party took the initiative to come this close; it’s necessary to find out more about this person. Talking to her face to face is the most efficient way," Aiden explained.
"I know that..." Veronica looked away, murmuring softly, "It’s not my place to say whom you should meet with, Commander."
Then why ask? Aiden smiled helplessly to himself.
Ultimately, he just smiled and responded, "Return to your post."
