Chapter 387 Storm (1)

Qiulin's body was placed in the living room. No external injuries were found on his body, and his expression was calm and peaceful, as if he had just fallen asleep.

The remaining nineteen unidentified corpses were dragged into the yard and almost filled the vestibule of the small building.

There were black scratches like brush strokes on the stone floor inside and outside the courtyard gate, which were blood stains smeared on when the body was dragged.

The fat white man Fuller slumped on the steps, his knees and shoulders shaking. Although old Schmid maintained the composure of an elder, his eyes still showed the confusion of the rest of his life.

At night, the temperature had already dropped to freezing point. The wounds and blood on the corpse were frozen, so there shouldn't be any odor.

But every time Anna took a breath, the smell of blood that was so strong that it couldn't be dispelled hit her nostrils.

This was the second time Ms. Navarre faced a bloody killing array. It was not as brutal as the last time, but it was closer than the last time.

The last time was in Qingqiu.

Winters looked at Anna and didn't speak. He just told Anna with his eyes: "You don't have to stay with me."

"I'm not afraid." Anna replied softly, holding Winters' arm firmly.

Lifting the mask and removing the mask, the attacker's lifeless features were exposed in the firelight.

Winters looked over one by one, and all of them had unfamiliar faces. The accompanying guards were asked to take turns to identify him, but the guards had no impression of the attacker.

The search of his belongings also found nothing. Apart from his sidearms and a few coins, he only found a drum-shaped silver box and a small bunch of keys in the green-eyed man's clothes.

The key is simple in style and made of bronze. The front end is an undulating sawtooth pile, and the end is bent by filigree into a symmetrical three-petal flower.

The silver box is much more exquisite, and rhythmic mechanical sounds are constantly coming from the box. Open the buckle cover, and a silver plate protected by crystal glass comes into view.

The silver plate was evenly divided into twelve equal parts, and each equal part was divided into four small parts. A gold pointer starts from the axis of the disk and points directly to a scale on the disk.

Winters recognized the silver box at a glance for what it was—a clock, a clock that could be carried anywhere.

"Are they assassins of the Oathbreakers?" Winters asked Kaman pointedly.

Father Carmen sat in the corner, silent. His eyes were lowered and his expression was numb, as if he hadn't heard anything. After killing his enemy suddenly, Kaman behaved like a zombie.

Kaman didn't answer, so Winters took it as acquiescence.

Winters asked again, "Do you know them?"

Kaman glanced at Winters blankly and shook his head slowly. His dry lips seemed to be stuck together, and Kaman answered with difficulty: "I don't know, that person...may be the 'messenger'..."

"What is a messenger?" Winters frowned.

Kaman lowered his head and did not intend to continue talking.

Winters was silent for a moment, put his hand on Carman's shoulder, and said word by word: "I will protect you, and I will also protect Mrs. Mitchell and Scarlett."

Kaman let out a low scoff and grabbed Winters' wrist with such force that he almost crushed Winters' joints.

Kaman's other hand also grabbed the skirt of Winters' clothes and pulled Winters close.

He raised his eyes, and the aura of the pious and kind-hearted priest was completely gone, only the desperate look of a beast caught in a trap: "Stop talking nonsense! Winters Montagne! You can't protect anyone!"

Winters looked directly at Kaman without flinching: "Those who break the oath are only mortals, not gods."

Kaman and Winters looked at each other for a moment, then suddenly let go of their hands and sat down with their backs against the stone wall.

The personal maid followed Anna's request, holding all the thick cloaks and blankets she could find, and hurriedly ran out of the stone building.

Anna took the blankets and cloaks and distributed them in an orderly manner to Fuller, Old Man Schmid, and the accompanying guards who hurried out.

Anna personally took a thick blanket and put it on Father Carman, then held Carman's hand and said some comforting words, hoping that Carman would return to a warm place in the house.

But Kaman just lowered his head and remained silent.

Anna asked Winters with her eyes: "What's wrong?"

Winters picked up Anna and said, "Let him stay alone for a while." After taking a few steps, Winters explained: "He is afraid of the oathbreakers."

Anna nodded in understanding.

"I will protect you too," Winters said to Anna.

Qiulin's body was lying in the living room. Winters' words were not actually a promise, but more like some kind of blood oath carved in stone.

"I know." Anna silently held Winters' hand and asked softly: "What about Mr. Fuller and Mr. Schmid?"

"Wait until Colonel Berne arrives and let the colonel decide how to deal with them." Winters looked towards the direction of the old city - the dispatched reconnaissance cavalry has not returned yet, and said: "Even if they want to leave, I'm afraid the road is not safe."

"Then please, Mr. Fuller and Mr. Schmid, please go to the side hall to rest first?"

Winters thought for a while and called Koch to his side: "Please ask Mr. Schmid and Mr. Fuller to also screen and look for any faces they recognize."

Koch received the order and walked toward Fuller and Schmid with his saber in hand. Old Schmid stood up with his knees in cooperation, while Fuller looked frightened and resistant, waving his hands repeatedly.

The part-time coroner of the Steel Castle Courthouse lives in the Old Town and can't be counted on tonight.

The kitchen became a makeshift autopsy room, and Winters examined the body himself by remembering the autopsy report from Hailan Customs.

According to Winters' request, the four masked men were carried into the kitchen first.

The fatal injuries to the masked men were all on their necks, and everyone's Adam's apple was dented. Kaman immediately deprived them of their ability to speak, and then killed them cleanly.

The muscles of the masked people are not very developed, and their pampered posture indicates that they do not make a living from manual labor. The palms are delicate and there are no traces of weapons or fighting practice.

Combining the few words spoken by the green eyes and the reaction to the divine spell, Winters could almost conclude that the masked man was the court mage raised by the Oathbreaker.

But that's all.

Wearing iron masks, they may be court wizards. After taking off the iron mask, they are just complete or incomplete corpses. No matter what secrets they knew, they couldn't dig them out anymore.

But Winters couldn't blame Kaman, because if Kaman had hesitated at all when he took action, he might be the one lying on the cold stone slab at this moment.

Capture the caster?

It is simply an unsolvable problem.

After quickly examining the bodies of the four masked men, "Green Eyes" was carried into the kitchen.

After cutting off the coat with frozen green eyes, Winters wrinkled his nose and asked Balian, "Do you smell anything?"

Temporary autopsy assistant Balian sniffed the air: "The smell of perfume?"

Winters said nothing, but leaned close to the green-eyed clothes and fanned them gently. After a moment, he slowly straightened up and his eyes became cold.

"It's not perfume," Winters said with conviction. "It's incense... Go find Ms. Navarre."

Anna was invited into the kitchen.

Winters pulled up the simple curtain in advance to prevent Anna from seeing the body on the long table. He handed Anna a piece of cloth cut from Green Eyes' shirt: "Do you remember this scent?"

Anna sniffed a few times: "Amber fragrance? The last time I smelled it was for human use..."

Winters fiddled with the carving knife: "White Eagle Mansion."

[I originally wanted to update a chapter on the 1st to wish everyone a happy New Year, but I couldn't finish the chapter...]

[So here is a belated blessing, I hope all book friends will be healthy and safe in 2022]

[Well, I won’t wish everyone a fortune or anything like that. Health and safety are always the most important! ]

[Thank you book friends for your collection, reading, subscription, recommendation votes, monthly votes, rewards and comments, thank you all]