Pale Emblem

Chapter 115 The Opponent from the North

A few days later, all the caravans and residents working in the drying yard outside the town had returned, and Water Snake Town suddenly seemed crowded.The local residents wanted to take back their own houses, while the caravan travelers who rented private houses were eager to meet up with their companions. They inevitably quarreled and even broke out fist fights over the matter of rent.

Fights and fights were originally trivial incidents, but they all broke out together, and the order in the town became chaotic.The town guard in charge of public security was even more busy.They wanted to appease the townspeople who had lost their income and rent, and also arranged for temporary accommodation for the assembled armed caravan. They had to give up all the barracks of the guards, and set up tents to sleep on the streets.

Even so, the armed caravan and the residents of the town were not satisfied, and the members of the guard were full of resentment.If this continues, the situation in Water Snake Town is in danger of getting out of control.

Guard Captain Husserl's influence in Water Snake Town is far inferior to that of the mayor and the leader of the Adventurer's Union.Now, the mayor of Middleton died, so he had to invite Eckert, the head of the trade union, to his home as a guest, hoping that the other party would come forward to help him control the gradually chaotic situation.

Husserl's residence was an ordinary two-story building, the interior decoration was very simple, the furniture was rough and strong, full of old tones, it looked more like the houses of ordinary townspeople than the chief officer of the guard mansion.

The guards of Water Snake Town rotate every two years, and no captain has ever been willing to spend his own money to add bricks and tiles to the guard's mansion.Husserl, of course, was no exception.In fact, the captain of the guard sent by the city-state council to a remote area is only a little better than exile.They belonged to marginalized roles in the upper class of the city-state. They had a background but their influence was declining. Considering their future livelihood, they did not dare to squander their wealth recklessly.

Chapter President Eckert never got any benefits from Husserl, and his attitude towards him has always been indifferent.At this moment, Husserl begged on his own head, and Eckert crossed his legs carelessly, sat on the chair, and said in a strange way: "Master Captain, Water Snake Town has been made like this by you, how do you plan to end it?"

Husserl poured a glass of fruit wine for the branch president of the Adventurer's Guild, and explained with a smile: "I have already investigated, and according to Middleton's female slaves, they once saw the housekeeper Yi Senniel in Christine Staying in the lady's room more than once... In fact, Yi Senniel is Christine's lover, but he is not the only lover. Before Yi Sennier, Christine had at least two servant lovers .”

He put on a wretched smile, deliberately used a more friendly gesture to tease Eckert about topics that men are interested in, in an attempt to get closer to each other, "Who would have thought that the normally dignified and elegant lady is coquettish and debauched, and she actually seduces the family members?" Male servant. Yisenniel, who was dazzled by jealousy, not only secretly got rid of several rivals in love, but also killed his male master, and then ran away with Mrs. Christine..."

Eckert rolled his eyes and said disdainfully: "Is this kind of thing worth making a fuss about? I'm afraid you don't know anything about the secret rituals of the partner of a noble family... I heard that Christine was born in a noble family and has a good physique. Naturally weak. It is normal for her to choose a strong male professional to practice the secret rituals of her partner together to maintain her own vitality."

"Yes, yes, yes... Our third-level doctor, the mayor, obviously cannot satisfy Christine's appetite. As the only venerable in this town, Butler Yisenniel meets Mrs. Christine's requirements for choosing a partner. ...However, Yisenniel went to Christine's bed, he couldn't bear the presence of Mayor Middleton, and he committed the crime of killing the lord after all."

"Kill the master? Humph, Yisenniel is Christine's servant, and Middleton is not his master. Since he is Christine's secret ritual partner, there is no need to kill Middleton. Even if he If you want to get rid of Middleton and occupy Christine alone, there is no need to give up the property here and flee with the beautiful mistress. With Yisenniel's means, he has many ways to get rid of Middleton... Forget it , I'm currently not much interested in Middleton's actual cause of death."

Eckert waved his hands casually, turned his body sideways, stared at Husserl with vicious eyes and said, "If you still pretend to be stupid with me until now, then there is nothing to talk about between us."

Husserl put away his shriveled smile, pondered for a moment, and said seriously: "I know, you are all in the same group... Except me, the mayor of this town, you, the residents, and passing caravans and adventure groups, You are all in the same group. The normal transport "loss" of each armed caravan is turned into wealth in Water Snake Town. You share the enviable wealth together. The stewards of each caravan take the bulk, and you and the mayor share the rest of the money, leaving a little more for the townspeople will be enough for them to live on.”

The famous and powerful families allowed their armed caravans to suffer certain losses during the transfer of goods.This is an unavoidable loss, but the caravan stewards took advantage of this rule and put part of the transportation loss into their own pockets.

Of course, they need someone to help them do this.The people in Water Snake Town are actually acting as caravan helpers.

When the caravan purchases goods, they will buy about [-] to [-]% more goods as a margin for transportation loss.The caravan passed through Water Snake Town, and then sorted, processed, and made various finished medicines for this part of the goods, and finally flowed into the black market in Xiabang, Fallen Leaf City.

If the stewards hadn't teamed up to devour the caravan's transshipment goods, Water Snake Town would have lost its foundation for survival.However, today, this shady business has involved the interests of thousands of people.In addition to the residents of the small town, the thieves' union in Xiabang, and even the bandit gangs wandering outside the city are inextricably linked to the black market business.At least, they can buy the secret medicine to improve their strength in Water Snake Town.

There is no doubt that Watersnake Town is a vital node in the black market network.

Middleton, the mayor of Water Snake Town, is secretly responsible for processing the raw medicinal materials that the caravan corrupted into various medicines.Although Middleton was killed inexplicably, there was still a pharmacist on his plantation.The black market pharmacy business along this line can still go on.

However, Captain Husserl used Middleton's murder as an excuse and announced the blockade of Water Snake Town, prohibiting people from entering and leaving.Things were different in Watersnake.

In the past ten days, two armed caravans outside were unable to enter Water Snake Town, unable to unload their goods, and unable to complete black market transactions.Their loss is also the loss of Water Snake Town, and it is also the loss of the president of Eckert.

As the beneficiary and defender of the black market business, it is no wonder that Eckert can give Husserl a good face.

"I know, I caused you to lose a lot of income, and I also offended a bunch of people." Captain Husserl said in a deep voice with no expression on his face: "But when you split the money, I didn't even pay for half the copper tower." No way. Something happened to Middleton and I, the sheriff, are held accountable...it's not fair!"

"Master Eckert, I need you to do me a favor. If I can take over the position of mayor of this town, I guarantee that you will get more share in the future."

If the Fallen Leaf City Council held Captain Husserl responsible for his dereliction of duty, he would have to use most of his life savings to pay the ransom.Husserl actually had no choice. He didn't want to become a miserable poor man, but he had to fight for the future of his family no matter what.

Eckert's eyes flickered, and he said disapprovingly: "What right do I have to make you the mayor of Water Snake Town? Have you found the wrong person?"

Of course Husserl knew that under normal circumstances he would not have the slightest chance of taking over the position of mayor, so he put all his hopes on that outsider named Victor.

The current patriarch of the famous Golden Nightingale family in Rapid City is now very powerful, and he is known as the strongest professional venerable in the Disa Alliance.If Victor is really an important fugitive pursued by the famous Golden Nightingale family, then Hussle has the opportunity to profit from the chaos, provided that he must ensure that he can control the situation and prevent Victor and his party from fleeing Water Snake Town.

In other words, even if someone had to hand over the reward, it was due to Husserl.And Branch President Eckert is the only one who has the ability to compete with him for this credit.

As long as Eckert is willing to support him, this must be a good start.

Husserl leaned his body and said sincerely: "The outsider named Victor is very active these days, throwing a lot of gold coins to track down a thief named Stephanie. They wandered around the town in the name of catching the thief, And openly beat and humiliated my subordinates. The townspeople and adventurers were greedy for their rewards. Instead of helping, they laughed loudly at the guard soldiers who were beaten... Now, there are rumors in the town that I ordered the thief to steal Victor's Identity papers, but I have nothing to do with the watersnake thieves, I don't even know any of them."

Eckert seemed to have suddenly realized, and asked bluntly: "Do you suspect that I secretly instigated outsiders to fight against you?"

Husserl's expression froze immediately, and he smiled wryly: "No matter what, your adventurers are protecting those strangers of unknown origin, and the local townspeople are also covering them. But the guard soldiers are despised like mice .My subordinates are not willing to perform stalking missions now. I don’t know where those outsiders are and what they are doing?”

Eckert sneered, thinking that this is not caused by yourself?

The guard announced the blockade of the town, causing the local residents to be unable to work normally, and their income was greatly reduced. Naturally, they will be resented by the residents.Victor and others publicly humiliated the guards watching them on the street, and the local residents were hooked.What's more, they spend a lot of money, and the locals have no reason to hate a group of tourists who are willing to spend money.

Of course, Eckert's contribution was indispensable, because the residents of this town and the armed caravan were full of anger, and they needed a target to vent their inner grievances.Eckert was afraid of conflicts between the locals and the armed caravan guys, so he followed suit and sent someone to point the finger at the Water Snake Town Guard.

In the final analysis, this is the contradiction between Husserl and Eckert.Husserl wants to take credit for the outsider who is suspected of being a fugitive from the famous family, but Eckert is unwilling to get involved in the internal struggle of the famous family.There were differences in the attitudes of the two parties towards Victor, and things turned into what they are now.

Captain Husserl could not keep track of the movement of outsiders.Eckert would not inform him of the news at all, and even indulged Victor and his party to move freely in the town.

"Lord Eckert, I request you to send someone to keep an eye on Victor and the others, and you don't need to do extra things, as long as you report the situation to me in time." Husserl said in a muffled voice, paused and added : "If I become the mayor, I promise to give you half of the share that originally belonged to Middleton. Even if I am blind and mess with the wrong person, I will bear all the consequences myself, and I will never implicate you!"

Eckert didn't take the guard captain's statement to heart at all, and asked in a leisurely manner, "What if I don't agree?"

"Then I have no choice but to report the truth to the council. Middleton's murder is probably related to an adventurer named Rhine, and that Rhine was brought into the mayor's mansion by Lord Eckert himself, and then the murder happened... "

Eckert immediately turned his face and said angrily: "How dare you threaten me?"

Husserl said in a deep voice with no expression on his face: "I told you before that Middleton was killed by his butler, but you didn't appreciate it. There is no way, I can only tell the truth, the adventurer Rhine is suspected of killing the mayor The biggest! When the city-state council pursues it, the branch chief may also be in trouble."

Eckert looked straight at the other party, with smile lines gradually appearing on his face, and finally he couldn't help laughing and said: "Haha, I advise you not to waste your efforts, you have no idea how big Rhine's background is...Actually, neither do I. I know his details, but I know that he has a mission document signed by the head of the Adventurer's Guild... Do you think you can beat the Adventurer's Guild headquarters?"

"I also advise him not to waste his efforts in vain." A magnetic voice came into the house, and then a half-elf male pushed the door and entered.

He is of medium build, ordinary appearance, neatly combed gray hair, looks about 40 years old, a pair of light blue eyes are clear and bright, just like the curious eyes of a teenager.The maturity and elegance of middle-aged people and the enthusiasm and vitality of young people are ingeniously combined in him by something called self-confidence, which makes him have a convincing unique charm.

Branch President Eckert stood up in surprise, and shouted in disbelief and respect: "Mr. Anthony, why are you here?"

The gray-haired, blue-eyed half-elf smiled and nodded, "I just arrived at Water Snake Town last night, but please rest assured, the branch president, I am not here to represent the boss to support Husserl to take over the post of mayor of Water Snake Town, but for everyone's sake." Business can go on."

Anthony, one of the leaders of the Northern State Bandit Group in Fallen Leaf City, is also the right-hand man trusted by the underground king Brad.In fact, the entire Fallen Leaf Northern State, including the Thieves Union in Water Snake Town, obeyed the orders of the underground king, Brad, but Red Sir Brad was hidden behind the scenes, and most of his orders were conveyed by Mr. Anthony.

Anthony's gang in Beibang, Fallen Leaf City can be said to be a big shot under one person and above ten thousand people.His appearance shocked Eckert, but it was actually quite normal when he thought about it.

The thieves force represented by Red Sir Brad is precisely the biggest partner in the black market business of Water Snake Town, and they almost monopolize all the medicinal materials and medicines flowing out of Water Snake Town.

Eckert finally realized that the situation in Water Snake Town was far more complicated than he had imagined, so that the underground king of Luoye City Nanbang sent his most effective assistant to clean up the situation.

Anthony pulled out a chair and sat down. He first looked at Captain Husserl with a gloomy face, then turned his head and explained to Eckert: "Husserl's brother went to the boss and explained the situation in Water Snake Town clearly. But The boss has no plans to intervene in the mayor's succession, and there is no time to operate. The boss believes that no matter who the mayor of Water Snake Town ends up in, we should try our best to keep this line. Otherwise, we will rebuild the transaction channel I'm afraid it will take several years to restore Water Snake Town to its current scale."

Eckert frowned his stubby eyebrows, and asked tangledly, "...Is it so serious?"

Anthony shook his head and said: "We can pretend not to know that the tiger broke into the pigsty, but Captain Husserl has already passed the news of the tiger to Fallen Leaf City. We can't hide it even if we want to, so we have to deal with it in advance. You know, The infighting among famous families is brutal and bloody, not to mention the suzerain war of the famous Golden Nightingale family. As long as the new Golden Nightingale patriarch moves his mouth, there may be a storm below, and our shady business will be turned upside down."

He then said distressedly: "The business of Water Snake Town is related to the livelihood of thousands of people. If the cover here is lifted by Zhu Mingmen, the rich and famous families of Fallen Leaf City will always be held accountable in order to preserve the authority of the family. Someone will Executed, exiled, starved to death... The purpose of my visit this time is to minimize the impact of the intruders."

"Captain, you should thank your elder brother for tipping off the boss. If not, you would be the first to die." Anthony turned to Husserl.

Husserl muttered to himself, "Is there anything I can't lose?"

"Mr. Anthony, what are you going to do? What do you need me to do?" Eckert asked the leader of the thieves, ignoring the absent-minded Husserl.

Anthony intertwined his fingers, pillowed the back of his head, and said casually: "I have basically understood the situation of the intruders. If they are really the targets of the famous Golden Nightingale family, there are only two situations, or they inadvertently intrude." Entering Water Snake Town, or they have a powerful asylum in Fallen Leaf City, passing through Water Snake Town, intending to seek refuge with the asylum. This kind of thing, it is not up to us small characters to interfere, and the famous family will always discuss a result. We have to do What Captain Husserl wants to do is to keep an eye on the intruders, and when the famous family needs them, they can hand them over...in the name of Captain Husserl."

As he said that, he shook his finger at the beaming Husserl, and said, "Don't be too happy, there is another possibility. If the famous families of Fallen Leaf City agree that they are worthless, then I will be responsible for disposing of them." .And the death of Mayor Middleton has nothing to do with us, and the crimes that should be borne by you are still borne by you."

Husserl stood up, bowed and said, "I have no objection."

Eckert said to Anthony frowningly: "It may be very difficult for us to control those outsiders... Harvey next to Victor should be a sixth-level venerable, and there is no one in the entire Water Snake Town." Can stand against him. If Harvey goes mad, I reckon he can kill a lot of people."

Obviously, Eckert is avoiding direct confrontation with Victor and others.His power mainly comes from the support of adventurers, but adventurers have a lot of autonomy, not to mention that they are unwilling to pay the price of sacrificing their companions. With a sixth-level venerable, it is difficult for even Husserl to command the guards Go all out to kill the sixth-level venerable.

Only with heavy rewards can the warriors work for you, just like Victor spent a lot of gold coins, and released the task of catching thieves with low risk and high returns.Adventurers and locals, of course, circled around him.On the other hand, how much would Husserl spend before adventurers and guard soldiers would deal with a powerful sixth-level venerable?
Anthony didn't expect much from the two bosses in this town.He learned about Victor's move to win people's hearts and suppress the guards in Water Snake Town, and he also thought that the other party was an extraordinary character.However, the black market business in Water Snake Town brings huge benefits to the North State thieves group every year.The Red Jazz Brad couldn't let go, so Anthony had to find a way to solve the problem here.

Anthony said: "Try not to do it. If you really want to do it, I don't need you. I brought more than 20 people from Beibang, and they are all good players with one against ten."

Eckert coughed, lowered his eyelids, and reminded in a low voice: "Mr. Anthony, Harvey is a sixth-level venerable."

"The sixth-level venerable is indeed very strong, but we still can't do anything about a single sixth-level venerable." Anthony said confidently: "Ferdy, come out and say hello to the two gentlemen. see you."

As soon as the words fell, a half-elf male in black appeared suddenly in the air. He was tall and thin, with a pale face and dull eyes, revealing a palpitating indifference.He was clearly in front of them, but Eckert and Husserl couldn't see his face clearly.This half-elf is like a tombstone entwined with dead vines, or like an old desk and chair covered with dust, thrown in an inconspicuous dark corner, making people ignore it subconsciously.

I saw that the half-elf, who seemed to have no sense of existence, bowed slightly, took a step back, and disappeared without a trace in an instant.

Eckert and Husserl jumped up in shock, their eyes wide open trying to find his trace, but they found nothing.He is like an invisible ghost, Shadow Dun silently watching everyone from somewhere in this living room.

Rumor has it that Red Jazz Brad has under his command besides the Murphy brothers who claim to have never been defeated, there is also a famous assassin venerable.The Red Jazz was able to unify the bandit forces in the Northern State of Fallen Leaf City, and the Assassin Venerable played an important role.He quietly cut off many tough opponents for Brad, leaving no clues and evidence for tracing.

Eckert and Husserl finally saw the legendary professional assassin, but they didn't see it because they couldn't remember the appearance of the King of Killers, they only knew his name—Kai the King of Killers. Al Ferdi.

Ordinary career paths have no distinction, but assassins are not ordinary paths.Professional assassins are good at stealth. They always hide in the dark and always hold the initiative. If they are not sure, they will never attack the target. Once they make a move, they will kill.

Bad reputation is also a weapon of assassins. The more famous an assassin is, the stronger the deterrent will be, always bringing deadly pressure to the enemy.

Red Sir Brad sent the King of Killers here probably not only to suppress Harvey, the sixth-level venerable.

It is unknown who is stronger or weaker than Lord Assassin or Lord Shieldguard, but Eckert and Husserl both know that the Lord who walks in the shadows can take their lives easily and without hidden danger.

Only by obediently cooperating with Anthony can they save their lives under the watchful eye of the King of Killers.

Eckert was the first to react, and said flatteringly: "Mr. Anthony, if you have any orders, I will definitely follow them."

The leader of the thieves cast his gaze on the sheriff of Water Snake Town, and said gently: "Captain, have you heard of the thief that Mr. Victor put a reward on?"

With a sad face, Husserl said with great aggrievedness: "Her name is Stephanie, and she is Goldfinger Pym's apprentice... Victor spread lies everywhere, saying that I instructed Stephanie to steal his identity documents. Goldfinger from Water Snake Town Finger has been working for Mayor Middleton, and I don't know any Stephanie at all. I wanted to find Pym, but the old guy and Stephanie are hiding..."

"Well, Pim sought the mayor's protection, but a thief is always a thief." Anthony nodded with a smile, and said, "I have met Pim, and he told me something interesting...I ordered him to send Stephanie to Dear Mr. Eckert, Mr. Victor, according to the regulations of the Adventurer's Union, who should the bounty issued by Mr. Victor go to?"

Eckert said respectfully: "Once the mission is completed, I will send someone to deliver the bounty to you."

Anthony was in a happy mood. He regarded Victor as a cunning opponent, and it was always a joy to let the opponent step into the trap he set up step by step.What's more, he also collected a large sum of money from his opponent.

"Captain Husserl, I want to report to you that Bertina's accomplice, an island street orphan, is in your jurisdiction."

"Ah? Who is it?"

"Her name is Stephanie..."

(End of this chapter)