Witch, Fireball and Steam Evil God

Chapter 329 Visiting Darkhearth City

Rowena was very efficient. Early the next morning, she brought news of the two "ancient people." It turned out that the two "ancient people" were used to living in peacetime and had never seen Rowena's kind of grand gesture. They quickly told her everything, including what had happened before they came here.

Their original identities were technicians at a company, and their situation was somewhat similar to Ethan's. After completing a project, they returned home that night and woke up to find themselves in the Kingdom of Bigso.

Just as Ethan had predicted, a terrible landing.

Because Bigezo is located north of the Kingdom of Galog, which is within the Papacy's sphere of influence, although everyone's good friend Mr. Julius had met with an accident, the trouble he and his mentor Tourzan left behind continued. Since the reign of Henry III, the Empire has had close ties with the Papal States.

Julius played an indispensable role in the Papal States' transformation from a small country into a powerful force that now rules the entire north.

These two unfortunate ancient people not only landed in the wrong place, but also at the wrong time. According to them, the Kingdom of Bigso, under the guidance of the Pope, is now boycotting all goods, culture, and technological products of the empire.

The two, as "time travelers," were originally full of ambition. They believed that, just like those farming stories, they could make a name for themselves in this chaotic and turbulent era by relying on their knowledge. However, when they subtly proposed this idea to the nobles in the city, they were immediately imprisoned by fanatical church members.

Fortunately, they were lucky enough to catch a prison break and followed the refugee group all the way to the Empire. When they chatted with Captain Hagrid and learned about the changes in the Empire and the policies of the new cabinet, their hopes were rekindled.

"Old Sen, do you think these ancient people actually come from some dimension that hasn't been discovered by the guild yet?"

Rowena crossed her arms. Now that she's seen a lot, she wasn't too surprised by the sudden appearance of two "ancient people." "They're relatively stable in character, so they won't cause any big commotion. I'll keep an eye on them."

"Ah."

"Well then, we've finished discussing the important matters."

Rowena's gaze sharpened further. "It's time to talk about other things."

More interested in something else than settling the two "ancient people" was, "Old Sen, what's with your outfit?"

He was wrapped up tightly in a trench coat, and a dark object was perched on his nose.

"Hmm? You mean this? This is called sunglasses. It can effectively prevent the sun from being too glaring. It can be said to be an essential item when going out."

Upon hearing this, Luo Weiya's doubts deepened.

She could understand if other employees of Old Sen's Magic Technology Store said this, but Old Sen himself is the culprit who summons a sun above everyone's heads from time to time. How could someone be afraid of the sunlight being too bright?

It's clear that Ethan is hiding something.

"And this outfit, it's the most popular style for detectives lately, highly recommended by outstanding graduates of the Truth Society."

"What about this?"

Rowena squinted and pointed at Ethan's neck. After a careful observation, she noticed a suspicious red mark on Ethan's neck that extended all the way into his trench coat. Clearly, this was probably the reason why he was so covered up.

Nothing can escape the eyes of intelligence master Rowena.

"Which one?"

Ethan instinctively touched his neck and immediately explained, "Oh, you mean this? I think you've probably misunderstood. Summer is coming soon, and mosquitoes are back in force. This is from a mosquito bite."

"Misunderstand?"

Rowena sneered. She had found the most crucial problem. With a wave of her hand, her aura was like Conan Edogawa with a lightning bolt flashing across the back of his head. Her index finger pointed directly at the unusually quiet Winter this morning. "I felt something was strange from the moment I walked in. I deliberately came early. If it were any other time, this cat would have been hissing at me!"

However, today, Winter was simply sitting on the bed in her pajamas, as obedient and docile as a house cat.

She pointed directly at Winter, who was trying to hide behind Ethan, "Winter, aren't you going to say anything?"

"Buzz buzz buzz, buzz buzz buzz".

Ethan heard this voice from behind.

The two never expected that Winter could imitate the sound of a mosquito.

"there is only one truth!"

Rowena raised her voice, "You guys didn't sleep at all last night! Those sunglasses of yours are clearly just to hide your dark circles!"

Time seemed to freeze at this moment.

The moment she reached that conclusion, Rowena felt as if she had reached the pinnacle of her life. Unfortunately, this peak moment did not last long. She suddenly realized something, her face froze, and her outstretched fingers began to tremble slightly.

"Lovina, knowing so much about some things isn't necessarily a good thing."

Ethan sighed helplessly.

"Ah."

Rowena lowered her head and said, "Well then, I'll go back first."

The room fell silent once more, leaving Ethan and Winter staring at each other. Once Rowena's footsteps had completely disappeared, Winter made a face at Ethan.

She was very satisfied today; the egg-hatching plan was already on the agenda, and she could let Ethan go to Darkhearth City to conduct his investigation.

She smiled and waved to Ethan, like a wife seeing her husband off on a business trip, "Take care on the road, and don't forget to call home every night!"

Ivy waited at the agreed meeting place early in the morning. She hadn't slept all night either, and drank two large cans of sobering potion to stay awake. Based on the clues in the letter, she went to the Truth Society and the Court of Judgment to check all the commission records from a year ago. The more she investigated, the stronger her unease became.

No explicit records could be found, except for records of outings left at the Truth Society.

However, Julius had wreaked havoc on the capital at that time, and after the Violet Commune movement ended, most of the courses at the Academy of Truth were suspended, leaving only a formulaic selection mechanism to give the noble children of the court system a gilded edge, so that they could go directly to the court after graduation.

That was originally her aunt's plan for her, but she just couldn't get along with those people in the academy. After graduation, she went to Riverwood and lost touch with the Truth Society.

Valerie's commission seemed more like a private matter, which made her wonder if it might be a form of persecution by Julius. After all, she hadn't returned to the capital yet, and Valerie had maintained a secret correspondence with her. The Church could very well use this as an excuse to attack her—at least while Julius was still alive, this wasn't unusual. So she went to the capital's prison that very night and interrogated some of Julius's remaining followers, but to no avail.

Since Julius launched his coup, all the families with deep ties to the church and the court have been sent to the gallows one after another, and now only some marginal figures remain in prison.

Ivy changed into a tan trench coat, a gift from her teacher Valerie when she graduated.

"Let's go."

She composed herself, put on her brown deerstalker hat, and headed towards the teleportation node set up by the Astrologer's Guild. Ivy handed the prepared materials to Ethan, "Grand Duke Bellamor, an old friend of my uncle..."

When the man in the photo was mentioned, Ivy couldn't help but frown.

For several years now, Grand Duke Bellamor's position has been very delicate. Perhaps because he is far from the capital, he has always been able to play both sides between various forces. The residents of Darkforge City all believe that the passage of the "tax exemption" was inseparable from Grand Duke Bellamor's involvement. However, within a few days of Pope Julius being overthrown, Grand Duke Bellamor launched a "revolution" in Darkforge City.

He purged all the priests who colluded with Julius, and sent all the Darkhearth officials involved in promoting the tax exemption to the gallows. On the surface, Duke Bellamor could even be considered to have actively responded to the call of the new cabinet and spearheaded the overthrow of the church's power.

Naturally, he was not held accountable for the subsequent reckoning.

"You suspect he's the real mastermind?"

Ethan saw through Ivy's thoughts, but she just kept her head down and didn't say a word, while the blond hair on her head kept nodding.

However, the golden retriever's accusations have no legal effect, it cannot speak, and it cannot engage in a heated debate with Grand Duke Bellamor in court.

As the new prime minister, Ivy cannot easily make judgments on any suspect before she has solid evidence. She is well aware of the weight of her words. Once relevant information is released, the court will immediately set up an investigation team, and some radicals may even resort to torture to extract confessions.

This is another problem that has been troubling Ivy recently.

Despite the new cabinet's ban on torture and its order for the courts to change the bad practices of Julius's era, they always managed to find ways to torment the interrogated without harming them.

As the white halo dissipated, the two appeared in the Astrologer Guild Square of Darkforge City.

The sky was overcast, and the air was filled with the smell of rust. Although it was early morning, the sunlight could not penetrate the mist and shine on the land of Darkforge City.

This place was once one of the most important production lines for the imperial military industry. Even as early as the time of Henry I's founding of the country, Darkhearth was famous for producing weapons, which is the origin of the name "Darkhearth". Countless excellent blacksmiths were born here. By the time of Henry VI, these blacksmiths who kept up with the times also began to transform and devoted themselves to the production of firearms.

"Hey, Ivy! It really is you!"

Almost at the same time, Ethan saw a man with a radiant smile, dressed in aristocratic attire and sporting the fashionable mustache among the nobility. He was slightly overweight but impeccably dressed. Upon seeing Ivy, he warmly opened his arms to her. "The last time I saw you, Queen Margaret was still agonizing over her choice of path. The Truth Society is a good place. How are your father and aunt?"

A warm hug made Ivy look somewhat uncomfortable.

In fact, she had almost no deep impression of the Duke of Bellamore from her childhood, and all her knowledge of him came from reading through materials all night.

So she also learned a lot of other things about Grand Duke Bellamore.

For example, whether it was Julius or the tycoon Flor visiting Darkhearth, he would greet them with the same enthusiasm.

"They are doing well. My aunt asked me to give you her regards."

"This must be Mr. Ethan. I am Bellamor. I have heard about what happened in the capital and have been wanting to meet you for a long time."

Bellamor's enthusiasm quickly shifted to Ethan. He excitedly grasped Ethan's right hand with both of his, as if they were long-lost friends. He had a strong grip, with calluses on the base of his thumb, which was related to the information that he was a hunting enthusiast.

He loved hunting, but was not a follower of Cynthia or Argos. He simply enjoyed shooting arrows and the feeling of tracking prey. However, after the development of firearms technology, Duke Bellamor put his talent into shooting.

The information also mentions that he trained an elite musketeer team that would accompany him every week from Darkforge City to hunt in the forests on the outskirts of the city.

"Hello."

"I have prepared a welcome banquet for you, and the guest rooms are ready. Please stay at my residence during your stay in Dark Furnace City."

Bellamore was an optimistic and cheerful person, at least that's how he appeared. "By the way, Mr. Ethan, I really admire the electromagnetic crossbows produced by your Magic Technology Shop—a perfect fusion of forging craftsmanship and magic, a truly ingenious design. I have many questions I'd like to ask you."

Grand Duke Bellamor had prepared the carriage, and Ethan sat by the window, chatting with him casually. His gaze drifted out the window as the carriage passed through the market, attracting many Darkhearth residents to stop and watch. Compared to the "tax exemption" period, their lives seemed to have improved considerably. They were busy with their work, creating their own wealth with their own hands—actively responding to the new cabinet's call.

Ethan believed that the Duke of Bellamor deserved much credit, and that the only problem Darkforge City had now seemed to be the excessive industrial development that led to smog levels exceeding the standard, which might have a negative impact on the health of Darkforge City residents if they lived there for a long time.

but……

For people in this era, being able to eat their fill every day and not having to worry about being taken away by church members who suddenly break into their homes is enough to satisfy them.

A city that looks prosperous.

This is Ethan's impression of Darkhearth City today.

Grand Duke Bellamor's manor was also shrouded in smog. Upon seeing the three return, the manor's servants immediately busied themselves. He invited the two to the banquet hall, where one exquisite dish after another was served. Bellamor seemed to be very skilled at this. Before the two arrived, the banquet hall had already welcomed many important figures.

"Lord Bellamor,"

Ivy steadied herself; the omnipresent smog always made her feel drowsy. "You should have received a briefing about my mentor, Miss Valerie."

"Of course, beautiful Ms. Valerie, I deeply regret what happened to her."

Did she disclose to you any information about the case she was investigating at the time?

“You know, Ms. Valerie doesn’t like associating with people like me.”

Bellamor seemed to have been prepared for this and answered fluently, "However, there were some rumors circulating in the city at the time that a follower of the God of Truth was investigating a case involving ghouls."

(End of this chapter)