The rats that gave birth to the 'god', the missing magic ring...
Both clues point to extraordinary power.
The changes in this world don't seem to be over yet.
The so-called 'god' of the rats is not really a god in Ma Wei's eyes.
Although the giant rat brought the power of curse to the race and gave the race wisdom and strength, it was too weak. It was so weak that even Fat Orange, who had been gifted by the goddess of truth, could kill it.
Rather than being said to be a god, it is more like a kind of leader of a group of people condensed by faith to protect his own kind.
Otherwise, wouldn't Fat Orange, who can even kill gods, be above the gods?
"Boss, I feel that this matter is not trivial." The message said in a serious tone: "Do you think that even the mice in Antoine Village can give birth to 'gods', then similar situations will not happen in other places?"
"If there are other races that give birth to 'gods', will the troubles similar to today's curse continue?"
"We are still not sure whether the 'god' of the rat pack is artificially created or born naturally." Ma Wei said: "I think this matter is inseparable from the murderer of Sir Antoine. As long as we catch him, everything will be solved." Isn’t the truth now revealed?”
"They've all run away, and we don't have a clue. How can we catch them?"
"Who says you don't have a clue?"
Picking up the mahogany-handled revolver in the drawer, Ma Wei said pointedly: "Don't forget who commissioned us to investigate Antoine Village."
Of course there is a breakthrough.
Since Sir Antoine knew the murderer, his relatives and friends naturally became suspects.
As for who exactly...
You have to ask the fourth prince Arthur.
After the death of the giant rat, the curse disappeared and the crisis that enveloped Antoine Village also dissipated. The rest of the finishing work was left to the soldiers who sealed off the village.
In front of the grave where 20 dead cats were buried, Mavey burned the corpse of the giant mouse and hung his bowler hat on the cross in front of the grave.
"The church will not forget the contribution you made today, and may your souls always be with the goddess..." Putting his palms on his chest, Ma Wei whispered: "Truth is supreme."
The dead cats are of course not unknown warriors. As early as when they joined the church, Ma Wei prepared a special registration book for the cats with their names and paw prints on it.
Their achievements will be recorded forever.
After doing all this, Ma Wei, Yunia, and Laiwen returned to the carriage parked on the path outside Antoine Village. After letting Laiwen turn the cats into the size of green beans, they hid them in the carriage seat. under the chair.
Ma Wei had never thought of this method before. It was the sentence 'turn into a mouse' in the text that provided him with inspiration. Otherwise, Fat Orange wouldn't have to hit the firing line with his body and led Maomao to break through strongly.
"Imagination is still not rich enough..."
With a sigh, Ma Wei knocked on the front glass and embarked on the way back.
..................................................
At 3 o'clock in the afternoon, outside the fire line in Antoine Village, soldiers in red military uniforms were still piling firewood into the fire line to ensure that the fire was raging.
Gentleman Sean sat on a tree stump covered with a piece of asbestos, staring at the twisted path in the flames. He moved his hand to his abdomen, trying to check the time, but in vain.
The already uneasy mood suddenly became worse.
"Damn it..." he muttered in a low voice: "That's the work of Master Hobbes, it's numbered... What was I thinking at the time..."
Mr. Sean is still thinking about getting a gold watch yesterday, not to mention regretting it. If he can go back in time, he must pick up the long sword hanging on the wall and give his irrational self a hard blow!
Yunia taught him a lesson.
It turns out that the kid...
Can also be very smart.
"Sir! Sir! Someone is coming out!"
The soldier's exclamation interrupted his recollection of the past. Gentleman Sean raised his head and saw the carriage driving towards the flames. His eyes lit up and he quickly ordered: "Move out of the line of fire! Quick!"
Two soldiers quickly ran forward, shoveled away the firewood lying in the middle of the road, and cleared a passage.
When the carriage drove out, it was quickly filled back in.
Standing up, Mr. Sean took three steps and two steps at a time, came to the carriage, and asked Ma Wei who got off the carriage, "How is the situation?"
Ma Wei did not answer, but took out the revolver found in the desk drawer from his waist and handed it over.
Seeing the familiar revolver with the letter A engraved on the handle, Mr. Sean fell silent.
After a while, he sighed, took the pistol, and said with a gloomy expression: "So he is really dead... What was the cause of death?"
"Knife wound." Ma Wei told the clues he, Fat Orange, and the letter found: "The murderer strangled Sir Antoine's neck from behind and inserted the tip of the knife into his heart. Sir Antoine failed to To create strong resistance would be..."
"do not talk."
Gentleman Sean raised his hand to signal Ma Wei to stop, rubbed his chest where his breathing was somewhat stagnant, and his face turned slightly pale.
He never imagined that Sir Antoine would die in such a miserable way. As a former companion, he couldn't help but feel a little angry and sad at this moment.
Seeing that he didn't look like he was pretending, Ma Wei revealed the next message: "Is there a ring on Sir Antoine's left index finger?"
"Yes, it's a gold ring set with green agate."
Mr. Sean took a few breaths and replied: "You should have seen it before. He bought it from the auction three years ago."
"I have never seen the ring taken away by the murderer."
"What?"
Frowning his brows, Mr. Sean said in surprise: "Although that ring is worth 500 gold pounds, you wouldn't kill someone for it... Could the murderer be a manor servant or a villager?"
500 gold pounds is not a small amount of money...
People die for money and birds die for food. Killing people for money is not only not rare, but also common.
While sailing on the sea, Ma Wei had seen many fights over a piece of jewelry, even going so far as to kill the other person to snatch it away.
Not to mention 500 gold pounds, even 1 penny can sometimes become the trigger for murder.
but....
Sir Antoine's death had absolutely nothing to do with money.
A murderer who can become an acquaintance of a noble must have a high social status.
The problem is the ring.
"The identity of the murderer is not known yet."
Ma Wei did not tell his reasoning about the identity of the murderer. He was not sure about the true identity of Mr. Sean. Even if the other person was a subordinate of the fourth prince Arthur, he could not completely believe it.
In the Antoine Village incident, the only person worthy of belief is the fourth prince Arthur.
As the loyal master of the knight, the fourth prince Arthur has no reason to kill Sir Antoine, who is loyal to him, unless the other party betrays him. But if the other party betrays him, just kill him, why bother to blockade him? What about entrusting the Truth Church to investigate the scene?
This is a complete contradiction.
There are dozens of better ways to show off than this, and with the mind of Fourth Prince Arthur, he would not choose the stupidest way.
In contrast, the knights under the fourth prince Arthur are not necessarily without suspicion...
"How's the mouse?" asked Gentleman Sean.
The most critical problem is the rats that occupy the village and manor of Antoine.
"It's been solved. You can let the soldiers go in and clean up the bodies..."
After a pause, Ma Wei glanced at the soldiers around him and asked, "Are they reliable?"
"Don't worry, they are all old subordinates. Many of their fathers once served under Sir Antoine. They are passed down through the same line. There will be no problem."
"Okay, the commission is completed, it's time for us to leave."
"etc!"
After calling out to Mavi, who was about to leave, Mr. Sean hesitated for a moment. After a brief inner struggle, he gritted his teeth and asked, "Can you buy that gold watch made by Master Hobbes for 1,000 gold pounds?" Sell it to me? If you take it to a pawn shop or the second-hand market, you will definitely not be able to sell it for this price. After all, people also want to make money."
After taking a deep look at him, Ma Wei took out the gold watch he had been carrying and threw it away: "Deal."
Gentleman Sean opened the cover of the watch and after seeing the number and unique personal identification on it, he breathed a sigh of relief: "Thank you... I don't have so much money now. Can I have someone send it to the Truth Church later? If you are worried, I I’ll write you an IOU now.”
"You don't need to write an IOU. A gold watch can't buy you dignity."
For the Rickman family, which owns a large ocean trading company and has a strong family background, although 1,000 gold pounds is a lot, it is by no means too much.
Gentleman Sean has no need to ruin his reputation for this money.
For a businessman, integrity is more important than anything else.
................................................................. ............
When Ma Wei and others returned to New Ross City, it was already dusk.
The sun is setting in the west, and most people have finished their work for the day. Those with families go back to eat, while bachelors walk into the pub talking and laughing, listening to the melodious music of the accordion, ordering a glass of butter beer, chatting, and getting drunk. He would also sing loudly, and he would go home drunk late at night.
Life seems infinitely beautiful, but under the calm surface, there are undercurrents.
As soon as he entered the church, Mavey smelled the aroma of animal fat, which came from the kitchen.
"I'm so exhausted..."
Lai Wen picked up a bowl of mint holy water and drank it in one gulp, then slumped down on the bench and never wanted to move again.
Now, he only has one question in his mind:
When will dinner be served?
"Oh, you're back!"
Hearing the commotion in the church, Mrs. Cecil walked out of the kitchen with a kitchen knife and a few brown feathers hanging on her body. She said with a smile: "We will eat soon, wait a moment... Qasim !Qasim!”
A young man wearing a black leather jacket with slightly curly brown hair, bright eyes and a few freckles on his face came out and grinned at Mavey: "Father, long time no see."
"Long time no see, Qasim, when did you come back?"
"Well...an hour ago, I asked for leave from the chief and rushed back early." Qasim scratched his head in embarrassment: "My mother wrote and asked me to bring two pairs of woodcocks and a wild duck back. , so I have to go to the Lord Knight first..."
Lord Knight, of course, refers to Knight Steele Little who serves Cassim. As a nobleman, Steele often goes out hunting. Fat roasted woodcock (yù) is his favorite food, and he eats it every day. If you want to get two, he is also very good to the attendants and will often separate some prey.
Qasim, who had not been home for more than half a year, could not return empty-handed. On the way home, he not only asked the knight for two pairs of woodcocks and a wild duck as per his mother's request, but also went to the market to buy them. Got a whole leg of fresh lamb, basil leaves, cumin and nutmeg... and of course, an ounce of black pepper in a mason jar.
"Is this your daughter, Father?"
When Qasim saw Yunia hiding behind his father, he immediately took out a small iron box, which contained two large disk-shaped chocolates. They are specially provided for the army and cannot be seen on the market at all: "Want to eat?"
Under Yunia's eager eyes, Ma Wei nodded: "Take it."
"Thank you brother Qasim!"
"Um?!"
Lai Wen, who was resting on a bench, heard the goddess call Qasim, and sat up straight. He looked at Qasim, who was about the same age as him, and his expression gradually became distorted.
Uncle Laiwen...
Brother Qasim...
Their seniority, no matter how you look at it, can’t be that different!
Lai Wen, who was extremely unbalanced in his heart, took out the wine bottle and planned to take a sip, but found that he had already finished drinking it. He rushed upstairs in anger and went to search for his own small wine storage.
Although Yunia was asked to accept the chocolate, Ma Wei did not allow her to eat it. The reason was very simple. Chocolate was specially provided for the army...
"The Sword Comes"
There are some 'leftover ingredients' added to it.
The purpose is to increase soldiers' combat excitement and reduce their fear of death.
Even if 'leftover' ingredients were not usually added to chocolate during non-war times, Ma Wei didn't dare to bet on it.
Who can say for sure whether it will be added or not?
Of course, Kasim would not give Yunia the chocolate with added 'leftover ingredients'. It was just a greeting gift. Just accept it. It doesn't matter whether you eat it or not.
"how are things?"
Inviting Kasim to sit down, Mavey took out a mint leaf and stuffed it into his mouth and chewed it: "Does Knight Steeld still often take you out hunting?"
"Yeah, he's still the same."
Qasim said with a smile: "He has almost finished catching all the wild ducks near our army station. If this rate continues, there will probably be no wild ducks coming to Lister Marsh to lay eggs next year."
"Hmm...Have you received any orders recently?"
"Order?" Kasim thought for a while: "Father, are you talking about the assassination of the Pope? This morning, an order did come to our Ross Lair Army from the London Guard District..."
Turning to look around, Cassim suddenly lowered his voice: "The London Garrison District requires us to join forces with the Royal Navy to guard the passes in and out of Wexford County from both land and sea. Now there are cavalry even near the railway. The team is patrolling and strictly tracking down suspicious persons of unknown origin. I heard that Belfast has also sent many senior police inspectors to various cities to take over the police!"
"Father, you were a lieutenant in the Royal Navy back then. You should have many friends in the capital. Is there any news among them?"
"I haven't contacted them for a long time..."
Mavey shook his head: "Knight Steele is also the Lieutenant of the Rosslare Army. Didn't he tell you anything?"
"That's true..."
