Child of Destiny

Donato Cross was the right-hand man of the previous leader of the Silver Knives.

He was extremely loyal to his former master, whom he regarded as an elder brother. He had supported him with everything he had and served as one of the organization’s killing blades, eliminating anyone who stood in their way.

Everything should have gone according to plan.

They had managed to overthrow the tyrants who had ruled the entire organization with iron fists and seize control of the Silver Knives.

They had obtained everything they had fought for.

However, just when everything seemed to be going perfectly, another incident occurred.

They had allowed a scheming vixen into their ranks.

That woman had eventually manipulated his elder brother from behind the scenes. And under her schemes, the entire organization had been dancing in the palm of her hand without anyone realizing it.

By the time they finally understood what had happened, it was already too late. The organization had fallen completely under her control.

Even his elder brother had been assassinated without being given the chance to fight back.

Bang!

Donato crushed the wine glass in his hand as memories of everything that had happened flooded back into his mind.

Fragments of glass flew in every direction, startling the beautiful woman in his embrace.

However, she didn’t dare make a sound. She was terrified of provoking Donato.

He was well known throughout the fortress for his violent temper, especially after the repeated defeats their faction had suffered at the hands of the new leader of the Silver Knives.

He had already killed more than one woman in fits of rage after losing his temper.

She had no desire to become his next victim. All she could do was tremble in his embrace and pray that she would make it through the night alive.

Donato paid no attention to her. He merely pushed her aside before getting out of bed.

He put on his robe and was about to walk toward the window when a series of urgent knocks suddenly came from outside his door.

Knock! Knock! Knock!

Donato furrowed his brows before answering. "What is it?"

There was a hint of coldness in his voice, sending chills down the spine of anyone who heard it.

The subordinate outside didn’t dare beat around the bush. He immediately stated the reason for his visit.

"Sir Donato... there are some problems with the main canteen of the fortress."

Hearing this, Donato narrowed his eyes before walking toward the door and opening it.

Bang!

He scrutinized the subordinate in front of him. "What are you talking about?"

The subordinate swallowed hard before replying with a stammer. "Sir... Sir Donato... a-a large number of our people are suffering from food poisoning."

"And... and all of them reported that it was caused by the food they received from the main canteen," he added, keeping his head lowered.

Donato glanced at the woman, who was still trembling on the bed, before walking out of the room.

"Explain everything in detail," he ordered as he walked.

"Reporting to the Fortress Master," the subordinate began before quickly laying out the situation. "Our people began suffering from food poisoning earlier this evening."

"They’re experiencing severe dizziness and intense stomachaches, leaving many of them incapacitated. Our doctors have advised them to remain in bed for the time being so they can be closely monitored."

"Our alchemists are also doing everything they can to determine a way to treat their condition."

The subordinate hesitated for a moment before continuing. "However, our infirmaries are currently filled with patients. We’re running out of space to accommodate everyone."

Donato suddenly stopped walking before sharply turning his head toward the subordinate. "What do you mean? Exactly how many people are affected for all of our infirmaries to be full?"

"This..." The subordinate was frightened out of his wits before quickly reporting, "The affected personnel are estimated to number... a couple of hundred, Sir."

"What!?" Donato couldn’t help but raise his voice upon hearing the number of victims. "How is that possible? How did the number of victims reach this many so quickly?"

"That’s... that’s because we didn’t find anything wrong until the poisoning reached an unprecedented scale," the subordinate replied before continuing.

"There were no warning signs. Everything seemed normal until the symptoms suddenly appeared almost simultaneously."

"When the first person began showing signs of poisoning, everyone who had been affected developed symptoms around the same time. This included personnel who had already reported to their posts as well as those resting in their quarters."

Donato frowned deeply. "What has your investigation uncovered?"

"We haven’t found anything suspicious yet, Sir," the subordinate replied almost instantly. "We’ve confirmed that all the victims developed their symptoms only after returning from the main canteen."

"But when we inspected all the food and ingredients in the kitchen and storage facilities, our specialists found nothing unusual."

"Everything had been handled properly and according to the required protocols before being served to our personnel."

Hearing this, Donato’s brows furrowed even deeper. "Then how did you conclude that this is food poisoning?"

The subordinate immediately replied, "Because every victim gave us the same account. They all said that they had eaten at the main canteen before experiencing the symptoms."

Donato fell silent for quite a while before asking, "Has the canteen been closed?"

"Yes, Sir!" the subordinate replied. "We’ve also placed all personnel from the main canteen under custody. They’ll have to undergo a series of investigations before they’re released."

Donato nodded briefly, about to issue further instructions.

However, before he could say another word, another subordinate suddenly rushed toward him and reported urgently.

"Fortress Master! We have a serious problem!"

Donato’s brows furrowed deeply, sensing that this new development was far more serious than the previous report.

"What is it?" he asked in a cold tone.

The second subordinate was a member of the inner district, where the families of the fortress’s Commanders and Grand Marshal resided.

Seeing him arrive in such a hurry, Donato couldn’t help but have a bad premonition.

The subordinate didn’t delay and immediately reported. "The inner district is currently in complete chaos."

"Every household belonging to the Commanding Officers is suffering from severe symptoms of food poisoning," he added while bowing before Donato.

Donato immediately wore a grim expression upon hearing this. "What are their symptoms?"

The subordinate didn’t dare waste any time. "All the victims are suffering from severe dizziness and intense stomachaches, leaving them bedridden and unable to do anything."

Hearing this, both Donato and the first subordinate’s expressions turned grim.

The symptoms were exactly the same as those suffered by the personnel who had fallen ill after eating at the main canteen.

"Have you investigated the cause?" Donato asked.

The second subordinate immediately replied, "We haven’t been able to determine it fully, Sir. However, the head physician of the fortress happened to be present when the Grand Marshal’s son began showing symptoms."

"He believes the most likely cause is the water," he added before quickly continuing. "We’re currently investigating that possibility, but we haven’t found anything yet."

"Even after conducting a series of tests, we haven’t detected anything strange or suspicious in the water."

Hearing this, Donato immediately issued a series of commands. "Identify which water shipments the affected households received. Do the same for the main canteen."

"Place everyone involved in transporting the water supplies from the oasis under investigation. Everyone is to be questioned thoroughly."

"Send personnel to the oasis and test the water there. Investigate the surrounding area as well and report anything suspicious."

Since the water source was now considered suspicious, they had to investigate every possible cause.

Donato wanted to determine whether this was a deliberate attack or simply contamination originating from the oasis itself.

After all, incidents involving oasis water weren’t particularly uncommon throughout the Green Marbly Kingdom.

Unless someone as powerful as the mysterious Shaman of the Marble Oasis City was overseeing an oasis, there was no absolute guarantee that its water source was completely safe despite the numerous magic formations protecting it.

Donato paused for a moment before continuing. "Inform all the Commanders and the Grand Marshal. I want them here immediately. We need to discuss this matter."

"Understood, Fortress Master!"

The two subordinates immediately bowed before turning around and rushing off to carry out his orders.

In the meantime, Donato narrowed his eyes as he turned toward the glass window beside him.

He had a bad feeling about the situation.

The strange developments reminded him of the unpleasant incident surrounding the death of his elder brother.

He felt as though another disaster was about to befall him.

If he wanted to survive it, he had to be even more careful this time.

If this were merely an isolated incident involving their water source, then there was nothing to worry about.

But if it was a deliberate attack by their mortal enemy, then he had to make sure to crush whoever was behind it and use them as a warning to anyone else who dared challenge them.

He clenched his fists before muttering, "That woman... Let’s see what she’s sent this time."

......

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