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Yet another shark drew close, and Colt punched it back into the darkness. ‘Well. I am grateful to you, just so it’s clear.’

‘Don’t be,’ said Bohwanox. ‘That’s not why I revived you.’

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‘Nice place you got here,’ said Ozmere. Moss followed close behind as usual, marveling silently at the mansion’s spacious corridors and ornate woodwork.

“Thank you.” Geoffrey had kept Colt’s heart and coat both. Even if the whole affair had proved a disappointment, he could at least expand his collection of souvenirs.

He was a bit surprised to see the mansion’s halls full of people again. He hadn’t even been gone a week, but apparently, his grandfather had been busy. Most of the people were obviously new hires, as they did not scurry out of his way whenever they saw him coming. One of the lackeys even bumped into him. The guy made a face, as if about to say something quite rude, but when he saw Moss’s hulking form stop behind Geoffrey, the mook seemed to think better of it and apologized instead.

The three of them found Damian and Feromas in the main study.

“Hello, Grandpa!”

“Hello, Grandson!” Damian returned a smile, which waned as he saw Geoffrey’s guests. “And who are they?”

“My friends! Ozmere and Moss. They’re from Abolish! Neat, huh? I am going to go with them so that they can help me get stronger. There are a lot more members in Sescoria, too! Ozmere said they would feed an entire town to me. Can you imagine that? An entire town!”

Abruptly, Geoffrey noticed the tension in the room. Damian’s face held none of its earlier mirth, and Ozmere’s expression was one of confusion. Even Moss had become attentive, and for a time, no one said anything.

Feromas broke the silence. ‘Dozer or Morgunov?’

Ozmere hesitated. ‘Morgunov.’

More silence.