Blood tax

Chapter 405 The Bizarre Adventure of Griffith ([-])
Griffith silently watched the people in the room, and they all looked at him expectantly.No one spoke, only the crackling of the firewood in the fire.

"I am the commander of the second-level assault squadron of the Praetorian Guards, Griffith de Ravenelle," Griffith still raised his flintlock, the muzzle of the gun was at eye level, "Ladies and gentlemen, What are you doing here? What is this place?"

The nobles sitting on the couch on the left are the Earl of Hill and his wife.They are decently dressed, with elegant expressions, yet stable and noble, and they are the embodiment of authority among a group of people.The Earl was respected by simply sitting there, not taking part in other people's conversations.One look and one movement made the owners of cotton mills and shipping tycoons not far away respectful.

Lord Labienus sat on the sofa on the right with his beautiful young wife.With his handsome goatee and sparkling eyes, he was complimented by several others.Like all intelligent people, this wizard seemed to be a leader of opinion wherever he went.After hearing Griffith's inquiry, the wizard replied:

"Good evening, Mr. Knight, this is 233B Baker Street, a mansion that should not exist. The citizens gathered here are not invited or planned to come here. Take me and my wife as an example, At 08:30 tonight, we were returning to our residence in our own carriage, but we arrived at this mansion halfway without any warning. My servant was here, but the carriage and luggage were nowhere to be seen.

"According to my investigation, this is a two-story house with an attic. Some rooms are as inaccessible as the main entrance. Only this reception room and the washroom on the side can be used. Once everyone enters, they cannot go out."

"In other words, this place is the product of some mysterious phenomenon?" Griffith asked.

"Undoubtedly yes," Wizard Labenus nodded. "I think this is a supernatural phenomenon called 'field'. We must decipher the secrets here before we can leave."

"The wise wizard already has a clue!" Mr. Ram, the owner of the cotton mill, said quickly, "He discovered that there is something unusual about the fire in the fireplace, which can give people a hint."

"What hint?"

Griffith asked.He found that Ram, the owner of the cotton mill, and Mr. Beble, the shareholder of the shipping company, were sitting on the couch in the middle, just between the earl and the wizard.There were also three well-dressed men with ruddy faces crowded beside the wealthy businessman and his wife.They looked nervous and carefully sat on half of their buttocks.

Besides them, there are many others.There were dozens of them, wearing half-new cloaks or short jackets, no seats, just shivering in the area behind the sofa.

Suddenly, Griffith spotted a familiar figure.Tina was also among these people. She was holding a small bag with an uneasy expression. She looked at Griffith with a pale face, but she didn't dare to come and talk to him.

What's happening here?Why didn't Tina call my name first?Griffith was puzzled for a while.He originally wanted to call out to Tina when he saw her, but felt that something was wrong, so he temporarily suppressed the idea of ​​speaking.

"Master Wizard, please tell the knight, what's going on?"

"According to my observation," the wizard continued, and with the introduction of the cotton mill owner, he could state his opinion formally without losing his identity, "this fireplace will give us some guidance, and I can feel the ripples of spiritual energy. "

The people sitting on the sofa in the middle and the people standing in the corner were listening to the teachings of the earl and the wizard, and did not dare to speak, or even dare to breathe loudly.

"The flame is speaking of the will of this mansion," said the wizard. "I observed its fluctuations and found that this realm awaits us to make certain decisions, otherwise we will not be let go."

"May I ask what decision?" Griffith asked.

"Knight, you just came in, so you haven't noticed any abnormalities yet," Earl Hill suddenly said, "Since we came here, the temperature in the room has been dropping and the fire has been gradually extinguished. It won't be long before we will be killed." Frozen to death here."

Griffith was taken aback.

But this is not beyond his expectations. Domains are often dangerous. If the secrets cannot be deciphered or destroyed with brute force, the life trapped in it will be imprisoned forever. It is normal to encounter danger.

"Honey, can we start?" Earl Hill's wife hugged her husband's hand and said, "I can't stand the cold anymore."

The count comforted his wife softly, then leaned back on the sofa, closed his eyes and did not speak.

"Then, please allow me to explain the secret of this realm," said the wizard Labenus, "the fireplace is asking us to throw some of the people in this room into it, so that the fire will be fueled and restored. warmth."

what? !

Griffith was taken aback.He was sure he had heard the wizard talking about sacrificing some of the drawing-room guests to the fireplace, but it was as understated as if it wasn't people being burned but firewood.

"Some people, um, maybe one, maybe seven or eight," Mr. Beble, the shareholder of the shipping company, said suddenly, "I'm not an Extraordinary, and I don't understand mysticism, but since this is a mysterious field, then , My logic tells me that people with powerful psychic abilities may be more in line with the expectations of the fireplace."

"Put away your unfounded guesses," Wizard Labenus snapped, "Do you want to decipher the mysterious rules instead of me?"

"I may not be able to do it," Mr. Beble smiled gently. "No, according to the will of the fire, we need to wait for the last guest, the majestic cavalry officer, to be the host?"

After saying this, the shipping tycoon got up and bowed to Griffith: "Please take a seat, Mr. Second Assault Squadron Leader. There must be a reason for inviting you to this living room. Before we freeze to death , please do something."

Griffith felt a chill.He even suspected that the malice of the citizens in this room produced some kind of mysterious chain reaction, making the room colder and colder.

Now, he also feels cold.Although his physique surpassed the limits of ordinary people, he still felt the chill that went straight to the marrow of his bones.

According to this trend, maybe everyone is really going to freeze to death here.

"What about the others? Is there anything you want to say?" Griffith asked.

He looked in Tina's direction, wondering what she and the others standing had to say.

Before these men could speak, a gentleman seated beside Mr Beble exclaimed: "Why waste time with our servants and beggars in the street, by God, do they know what mysteries are? I It's almost freezing to death!"

"Let's vote," Earl Hill opened his eyes, as if he had been waiting for this moment. "According to the ancient tradition of discussion, we should vote according to the seats. My suggestion is that those who stand there should enter the fireplace , if there is no noticeable improvement, let Mr. Knight choose some from the citizens of the middle sofa."

"I agree," the wizard replied immediately. "That's two votes. Considering that there are only three votes in total, we can already get the resolution, Mr. Knight."

"This is not fair!"

"This is ridiculous!"

"We haven't spoken yet!"

The person sitting on the sofa in the middle, Tina and the person standing in the corner all shouted.The reception room suddenly became chaotic.

"Shu-quiet," the wizard Labienus ordered in a thunderous voice.

Hearing his voice, even if those who spoke did not shut their mouths immediately, they all lowered their throats.

"My lord, Master Wizard, please wait a moment, such a hasty decision is inevitable..." the cotton spinning boss said politely with a flattering smile.

"Absurd, there are seven people in our seat, but only one vote," the shipping tycoon Mr. Beble interrupted the speech bluntly, and then he said firmly to Griffith, "Knight, as I just said , It’s perfect to use the most powerful wizard in this room as fuel. If it’s not enough, the Earl must be able to support it. This is the best strategy to keep the majority. The minority obeys the majority, and it’s very democratic.”

Anger is spreading.

Griffith discovers that the anger of the earl and the wizard is materializing.Offended, they rubbed their swords and wands at their waists, and their attitudes became more and more determined and severe.

At this time, Wizard Labenus suddenly stood up.He waved his wand and said a spell.

"Stop, knight, let him stop!" Mr. Beble suddenly screamed like a bunny, and ran to Griffith, "Knight, you are the only soldier in this room, and you are the only one who can legally use violence. Don't let the wizard hurt us!"

Before Griffith could make a move, suddenly a person standing in the corner of the room spontaneously ignited.He only had time to let out a scream before turning into a ball of ashes.

"No!"

"Ha-fu-na-zi!" Many people cried out in horror, "He, he's dead!"

It all happened so fast that even Griffith didn't have time to react.

Immediately afterwards, the temperature in the room seemed to rise a bit, and the fireplace became brighter.

"Don't be nervous, gentlemen," the wizard smiled and sat back in his seat. "Is it warmer now?"

"Well, sort of," the cotton mill owner said with a smile, before turning around and pumping his fist at the terrified people standing in the corner, "shut up, we're talking about democracy".

"But it's not enough." Mr. Beble, the shareholder of the shipping company, muttered.

"Don't worry, I will add fuel gradually," said the wizard. "Of course, we have to get a result as soon as possible. In order to make it easier for Mr. Knight to make a decision, according to the rules of procedure, each seat can lobby our host separately. Please, Mr. Earl let's start."

Earl Hill stood up, came to Griffith who was sitting on the main seat, and looked down at him:
"I am the earl and senator of Byelan."

Griffith thought for a moment.Then he stood up.

The tall and mighty officer of the Praetorian Guard appeared before the count like a rock cleaving the turbid waves.Looking at the barrel of the flintlock gun and the sharp eyebrows that were at the same level as his eyes, the nobleman felt his throat dry for no reason, and wanted to swallow a mouthful of saliva before taking a half step back.

However, his status and dignity did not allow him to do so.He was outraged at the knight's rudeness:
"I'm Count Hill, the elder of the Bayeran Senate. You're the Young Guard, I can see it, it must be Sutoral. Listen, your commander ordered you to clear these thugs, do you hear me? ,Soldier."

Oh, how empty.

Griffith didn't care about the earl's order, and even wanted to laugh.He even had an idea, and wanted to jokingly ask if the earl had an unmarried daughter?
(End of this chapter)