Elodie will also perform a solo dance at the end of the memorial service. It would be nice if the memorial ceremony could be cancelled...
By the way, I can stop Elodie! Griffith suddenly grasped at a glimmer of hope. Yes, let her hide at home until the commotion subsides. How to explain to Elodie and get her to give up the solo was a problem, but Griffith believed that the girl would listen to him in the end.
If there were no riots in the end, the Hanami Festival would probably be ruined by the angry city hall and tourists... Hey, let's not think about them for now. I can take Elodie to Homemonworth.
…
They were quickly received by the mayor. This elderly civil servant is also one of the heads of government of the island, and he came very early today because of the holiday. He had already heard the news that the resident mage had died in battle, and he looked very flustered.
Also coming with him was a captain of the city defense army. From a level perspective, although the Beyonder squad led by the stationed mage and the city defense brigade are on the same level, in the event of an Extraordinary case or black magic incident, the local city defense brigade must accept the leadership of the Extraordinary squad. The captain himself is also a Sequence 9, but his subordinates are all ordinary people.
The mayor listened quietly for a while to Griffith's suggestion of deploying the Winston team to strengthen the defense of Hanami's memorial. After a while, he slowly spoke: "Everyone, I understand the situation. Even Connix A strong man like your Excellency has been killed, which shows what a ferocious enemy and severe situation we face..."
But ~ you have to say the word "but" next. Griffith felt that there was something in the mayor's words.
"However, Sir Winston is not in the same system as us. I am afraid that he will not be willing to go to Hepu Town to pay tribute," the mayor said slowly, "I will ask the secretary to ask him again."
Amber's brows were already furrowed, and she was about to have an attack.
"Okay, Mr. Mayor," Griffith continued, "Miss Amber has detected powerful traces of black magic. If the sealed artifact is activated at the memorial site, there is a great possibility that it will cause a tragedy that shocks the whole country. ."
"I understand, I know," the mayor wiped his forehead, "Then, captain, your people must ensure the safety of the memorial ceremony. We are counting on you."
"No, Mayor, my boys are all ordinary people!" The captain sent an assist to Griffith, "Be sure to ask Lord Winston to help us."
"I can't guarantee it," the mayor's face became darker. He stood up and walked around the office a few times. "How many people? Is there no other way?"
"Then please issue martial law and stop the memorial service." Griffith said immediately.
"The Hanami Memorial Day is our most important festival. If you have ever lived here, you will understand its meaning," the mayor said with a sincere expression. "The Hanami Festival is the same as the Chinese New Year. It is one of the most important festivals in our calendar. The beginning of a new year. Citizens who identify with our culture hold celebrations on this day to bid farewell to the past year and welcome the new year with their families.
“I understand your difficulties and will do my best to provide available resources to assist.
"However, to terminate the annual memorial service based on available intelligence alone... is a decision that City Hall cannot make. Please understand us."
Amber was ready to slam the table, but Griffith stopped her.
"Mayor? The resident mage was killed? There is also a group of cultists who are running around with dangerous seal logistics. Based on your experience, you must have realized that the situation has become so bad that it is difficult to attach. The safety of thousands of people and the safety of this island The reputation and future may be at stake," Griffith said. "Time is already very urgent. Please agree to the official Beyonders and captains of Hepu Town to form a former enemy committee that will be deployed at the memorial site at Cangyue Mountain."
"No problem!" The mayor immediately grabbed the pen.
"Me? I can't do it. I'm only Sequence 9!" The captain shook his head repeatedly. "I will obey the orders of the former enemy committee."
The authorization to form the Committee on Former Enemies was signed immediately, without consulting the city council or reporting to superiors in the army. This authorization is actually invalid? The mayor seems to know this. Or maybe that's why? He signed without any fuss.
But? It doesn't matter, I don't mind it either. Griffith collected the authorization letter and put it in his arms, preparing to use this to coordinate the necessary supplies.
At this time, an official walked in hurriedly and whispered a few words to the mayor. The elderly administrative officer suddenly regained his energy and led the three of them outside the city hall.
On the broad street, a group of young people were waiting in line. They were dressed in shabby military uniforms, most without armor, and a few were even barefoot.
However, just seeing them from a distance, Griffith and Amber felt a chilling air filling the air. However, when I walked in front of me, I realized that the oldest among them was only fourteen or fifteen years old, and the youngest was only eleven or twelve years old, and was not as tall as Elodie.
The mixture of youthful childishness and substantial murderous aura makes everyone who sees them feel surprised and uneasy from the bottom of their hearts. Pedestrians and policemen walked around them from a distance, not even daring to take a second look.
"Are they?" Amber vaguely had the answer in her mind, but she still asked, "Young soldiers? Have they just retired from the front line?"
"Yes," the mayor pulled his tie and opened his mouth like a goldfish, "They are..."
"The Westeros Special Combat Techniques Force," Griffith's voice was as cold as ice, "The mountain warfare troops active in the western and eastern battlefields are all made up of orphans from the western mountain people. Where did you find them? of?"
"It wasn't me, it was the Sea District Governor's Mansion who transferred them here." Even though the temperature in the early morning was very comfortable, the mayor wiped the sweat from his forehead. "When we learned that the resident mage had been killed, we immediately applied for the transfer of more troops. There are many combat forces. They are the closest and the fastest to arrive. The military was originally planning to send them directly back to the Verona region, but the situation was urgent, so they were transferred here."
"Where is your commander?" Griffith looked at the young soldiers of all sizes and asked the tallest boy standing at the front.
"The squadron leader has gastroenteritis and has been admitted to the hospital in the port area. The second lieutenant fell into the sea during the voyage. There are no officers in the squadron." The oldest boy among the young soldiers came out and looked calmly at the trainee knight on the steps. , "I am Sergeant Oscar. There are 167 members of the Westero Special Combat Techniques Squadron. I am currently under my command."
"I handed them over to you," the mayor turned to Griffith and said, "Every reinforcement that arrives will come to support you as soon as possible. Please do your best to ensure the safety and smooth progress of the memorial ceremony. Please! "
The captain of the city defense army on the side looked nervous.
Although there are still many things he doesn't know. But as an experienced local commander, he had already sensed something bad from Master Winston's actions and the mayor's words. After bidding farewell to Griffith and the others, he gathered his team and took them and the Westeros Special Combat Skills Squadron that had just been sent to head for Heura.
Griffith and Amber also mounted their military horses and rushed towards Hepu Town ahead of the silent Westero Squadron.
…
The residents and tourists of Neopolis City had already gotten up and gathered at the public carriage station talking and laughing, preparing to go to Heura Town. Officials from the city hall also got up early and held banners and signs to guide tourists to attend the memorial ceremony.
The tragedy of the resident mage really made City Hall nervous. Although they could not make up their minds to stop the memorial ceremony, they also significantly strengthened their arrangements.
The city defense troops and patrol police have all been mobilized. From the road entering Hepu Town to the mountain road leading to the memorial ceremony, there are patrols of military police everywhere. A pair of alert eyes looked at the tourists coming and going.
Amber suddenly reacted: "Griffith, in fact, your goal from the beginning was to get the City Hall to approve the former enemy committee to use artillery. You have already predicted that they will not be able to coordinate the Winston team and cancel the memorial ceremony, right? ?”
"Yes, but it is a helpless move after all," Griffith shook his head, "Hepu Town is too big, and the patrol force on hand can only cover the memorial ceremony site and main roads, and most communities are still unmanned. "
"The number of cultists is not large," Amber began to comfort herself and her companions. "They have to protect and operate the sealed artifacts, and there are not so many manpower to attack everywhere. As long as we can hold on until night and wait for the extraordinary commandos, Is it safe?"
Will the cultists give us this time?
Griffith shook his head: "There are too many tourists, and without full cooperation from the local authorities, we cannot implement strict inspections. If the sealed artifact is activated during the memorial ceremony, it will be too late.
"So, I have one last resort."
"what?"
"I'm going to lock Elodie at home, and then use her to threaten the organizer. I won't let her out if no investigation and isolation measures are taken! The crowd has just started to gather towards Cangyue Mountain, and there is still time to act," Ge Riffis said fiercely, "I have Hanami Shoujo in my hand, let's see what they do."
"Why don't you become a villain? You must have a bright future." Amber praised him.
At this moment, Griffith and Amber, who had entered Heura Town, suddenly heard some kind of sound.
"Ugh——!"
Abnormal sounds came from the distant air and gradually became clear.
It was a rapid and shrill sound that lingered in the air. Griffith and Amber, who heard this voice, felt a chill of fear running down their spines, as if some unknown and unstoppable terror was coming.
"What is this sound?" Amber's face turned pale, and waves of dizziness kept coming.
The desolate, sharp and terrifying trumpet sound seemed to announce the coming disaster.
Griffith felt himself shrouded in fear and despair. He tried to open his mouth, but no words came out.
On the street not far from him, the bustling tourists were unaware. They were talking and laughing while eating Hepu's specialty snacks, and from time to time they cast curious glances at the two people riding on the military horses.
Something seems to be falling down from the sky...
Griffith stretched out his hand, and a white snowflake fell into his hand.
Snowing? Will it snow at this temperature? The curious trainee knight rubbed his hands, and the "snowflakes" disappeared immediately, leaving only a black trace in his palm.
These are not snowflakes, they are ash.
Large tracts of ashes seemed to be flying out of an incinerator, falling like goose feathers and heavy snow. The entire Hepu was shrouded in endless ashes.
