Battlefield Priest's Diary

Chapter 62 Odin
"Are you already making the next Easter egg?" the priest in black asked, seemingly casually.

He is now very concerned about the progress of the Easter eggs' production. If the "treasure" mentioned in the diary is indeed an Easter egg, it would be much easier to take it before it is presented to the emperor than to steal it from the Queen Mother's dressing table in the Winter Palace.

Faced with his question, Fabergé hesitated for a moment before saying, "Although the production cycle is a secret, since you are Rensa's friend, there's no point in hiding it from you."

The old man sighed and continued, "Actually, I haven't even started making the next Easter egg yet."

"Why?" Qin Hao looked at him curiously. He knew that Fabergé had ultimately chosen a very special design—he made the only steel military egg using shell casings and other metals, which was later recovered by the Russian government.

The old man did not answer directly, but slowly stretched out his long and thin hands. "Father Pugin, as you can see, I am no longer an energetic young man, and I don't know how much longer I can continue to do the work I love."

"Therefore, I hope to complete all the Easter egg designs from the past three years while I still have the energy, so I need to spend more time on the conceptualization."

Qin Hao nodded, reached out to refill the other person's teacup, and then asked, "So how long do you plan to take to complete this design?"

Fabergé was unaware that the other party had already set their sights on his work, and casually said, "It should take about eight months, after which I may be able to take a break."

"I see." Qin Hao nodded. "If you need any other assistance, I'd be happy to help."

“If you’re willing to help me find Rensa, maybe there won’t be any problems,” Fabergé said half-jokingly.

"Sorry, this is the only thing I can't do."

Qin Hao hesitated for a moment before tentatively asking, "What is your relationship with that lady...?"

"That's a very long story..." The old man shook his head, stood up, nodded in acknowledgment, and then walked alone into the rain.

"Thank you for the tea." A lonely voice came from outside the door.

Crackle~ Crackle~~
A sound of flapping wings was heard, and a crow flew out of the window.

Qin Hao stood up, turned off the stove fire, and then began to put the pills he had taken out back in one by one, while his mind started working.

The description of the Easter egg changing every year and the hints about the "treasure" in the diary are extremely apt, and eight months later it will be the latter half of 1915, which is very consistent with the clear indication that the treasure vault is about to collapse.

At least in his view, there was no more suitable treasure than Easter eggs among the intelligence he currently possessed.

However, the incident at the kennel illustrates one point: he has been targeted by certain people. Although it is unclear which faction it is, it is obvious that they want him dead.

He doesn't want to use the "substitute death" ability of chess pieces casually unless he understands the problem completely, because that would mean another beginning, another "new copy" full of uncertainty.

He needs to find a reason to stay after eight months…

Caw~~~
A piercing cry rang out from outside the window, and a dark shadow flapped its wings and flew in—it was the crow that had been standing on the windowsill.

Qin Hao took out a piece of jerky from his pocket and tossed it over. The other person swallowed it whole and then squealed with satisfaction.

"Yes, he did come alone, and no one was following him." Watching the crow hopping around in front of him, Qin Hao nodded and stuffed another piece of jerky into his hand.

This is his new achievement.

The incident at the kennel that day served as a warning to Qin Hao.

It was clear that there were people with ill intentions towards him within this building. Although his target was unclear, he couldn't simply sit and wait to die.

After dealing with that group of Caucasian Shepherds, Qin Hao had a new idea for ensuring his safety.

Crows are among the most intelligent birds. They can recognize themselves in a mirror, use wire or similar objects to snag food, and can even steal things. Their intelligence is equivalent to that of a 5-7 year old child.

After the crow was discovered stealing Qin Hao's jerky, the two formed a tacit understanding similar to an employer-employee relationship.

This guy usually stays around Qin Hao, using his barks to alert others when someone is around, and Qin Hao pays him with "dried meat" as his "daily wage".

After spending some time with it, Qin Hao discovered that this crow was surprisingly intelligent, and could even use the number of times it cawed and a series of actions such as jumping to express different meanings.

To facilitate communication, Qin Hao even gave it a name.

Odin.

In Norse mythology, Odin sacrificed one of his eyes to gain knowledge, and that eye eventually transformed into a raven that could travel across the earth day and night in Odin's place.

Thinking about his relationship with it, it really felt like his other eye, so Qin Hao gave it this somewhat chuunibyou-esque name.

quack!
After swallowing the jerky in his mouth, Odin preened his feathers with his mouth, circled the house twice, and then let out a cry before leaving.

Swish!
Qin Hao stretched out his right hand and pinched Odin's feather.

Quack! Quack!
Odin flapped his wings and cried out in dissatisfaction, seemingly protesting the black-robed priest's rudeness.

"Stop yelling, leave the stuff with me!" Qin Hao said helplessly, rubbing his head.

Odin flapped his wings twice, but finding he couldn't fly, he finally gave up. He pecked at the black bird, and something shiny fell out with a gurgling sound.

A finely crafted fountain pen.

Being smart isn't all good. Compared to a dog's obedience and understanding, Odin is clearly a bit "sly".

Besides being willing to haggle over "wages," this guy is always sneaky, and any shiny things in the house can disappear without him noticing.

Over time, Qin Hao became wary of it.

Once Qin Hao confirmed that Odin had returned the stolen goods, he released his grip. Then, a black crow flew to a branch outside the window, cawing loudly as it vented its emotions.

Qin Hao could tell that this guy was using really foul language.

Suddenly, Odin stopped yelling, flew back into the house, and began a rhythmic "dance" on the windowsill.

"Someone," "a," "dangerous guy," "looks scary"

Qin Hao understood the message Odin wanted to convey, but he was also puzzled: what kind of person could make a raven sense danger so quickly?

Dangdangdang~~~
A rhythmic knocking sounded outside the door. Qin Hao held the cross in his palm, his index finger pressing on the spring mechanism.

"Who is it?"

“Father Pugin, it’s me, Philip Vashad.” A somewhat cold voice rang out from outside the door.

"I have something to tell you."

"Regarding Prince Alexei."

(End of this chapter)