What happened to Isaac?

"We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way, and the LORD has laid on him our iniquity."

——Is? 53:6

The car stopped at the foot of the mountain where the monastery was located, and the road ahead was impassable, so we could not continue on.It was raining heavily when they arrived, and Xavier and Isaac waited in the car for a long time before getting out of the car and walking on the muddy winding mountain road.

Climbing hard all the way, the giant shadow of the monastery hangs in front of my eyes. The closer I get, the more I realize that the walls and the buildings behind are built extremely high, making the human body look like a drop.

In front of such a large building, arrogance is often so angry that it hurts others, and Isaac, who is also a demon, also frowned, and began to mutter again: "I am Alan Isaac, the assistant of Detective Xavier. Alan Isaac, Alan... oh! Langdon, if it wasn't my own name, I wouldn't be able to understand it."

"But you can't live without a full name," Xavier said. "Don't worry, there's no one here who knows you well enough to call you by your first name."

When approaching the gate, a polite old man greeted him: "Hi, Mr. Xavier, I am Robert, the dean of the monastery. We have received news of your visit, but may I ask this?" Robert turned to isaac.

"Alan Isaac, Mr. Xavier's assistant." Isaac said solemnly, holding the suitcase in one hand and taking off his hat in the other.

"Oh, Mr. Isaac," said the Abbot, "with all due respect, are you a soldier?"

After Isaac got back the dog tag, he hung it around his neck. Combined with his size and physique, it would indeed give people this kind of misunderstanding.Xavier didn't intend to correct him either. He simply explained that Isaac was a soldier in World War I, then took out his wallet from the inner pocket of his coat, and showed the blank card to Dean Robert. After the latter read it, his defense disappeared.

"Father Louis," the dean called to a young man not far away, "please take these two gentlemen to the room to put down their luggage."

"I'll wait for you in the chapel," the dean turned to Xavier again. "It's a quarter past one, which is still in time for our afternoon service."

Xavier subconsciously touched the cross collar clip on his collar and nodded in agreement.Robert smiled kindly.

"Please." The priest called Louis led the way.

The room was located on the second floor, and there were hardly any people seen along the way. At this time, most monks were working outdoors.On the way, Louis asked Xavier if he had a stomach problem.

"Chronic stomach trouble," Xavier replied.

"Then it would be better to drink heated water and milk," Louis said. "I am Louis, the doctor in the monastery. If you feel unwell, you can come to me."

The assigned room was at the end of a hallway and the wooden door looked brand new and solid.

"Sorry, but I saw in the file of the last case that the door was bolted," Xavier said.

"The case... do you mean Dr. Davis? May he rest in peace. In fact, it was after this that rumors spread out of nowhere that he did not commit suicide by drinking but murder. The dean asked people to close the doors of all the rooms. All the locks have been replaced with new anti-theft locks, including the convent. Everyone is safe now."

"So, the dean is really a careful and good man."

Louie was noncommittal.

While speaking, Louis inserted the key into the door lock, but did not open the door. He turned it back and forth several times, and could hear the sound of the key getting stuck.

"Maybe there's something wrong with the lock," Louie said.

Then, he even took out a wire from his pocket and inserted it into the lock instead of a key. Xavier noticed that Isaac raised his eyebrows.Only two seconds later, with a click, the door opened.

"I'll come back after I've said my prayers," Louie said.

Noticing Isaac's gaze, he explained that he was very good at dealing with machinery, and some monks who had a good relationship with him called him Louis XVI in private.

"Because you happen to be French?" Xavier asked.

Louis looked surprised: "Yes, sir."

"It's a habit, I hope I didn't offend you," Xavier said, "but it's not an auspicious nickname."

"God bless us," Louis smiled and shook his head, letting the door open, "I'll wait for you downstairs."

The room was an ordinary double room, it could be seen that it had been cleaned before they came, and there was a dusty smell in the air of a long-vacant room.Isaac pushed the suitcase to the end of the bed, and Xavier opened the window, from which he could see the courtyard not far away.

Isaac said, "If I understand you correctly, you are going to pray next?"

Xavier nodded.

"What about me?" Isaac asked, pointing to his nose, "Don't you think a demon..."

In any case, Xavier and Isaac followed Louis to the chapel.

From upstairs, through the long corridor, you can see some monks working in the courtyard. It is said that there are still many monks engaged in farming on the cultivated land in the north, and the monastery is basically self-sufficient.

Like other buildings, the chapel is well-repaired, with colorful windows and images of martyrs painted on them; the statues of the Virgin Mary on both sides of the aisle look calm and compassionate, with a faint smile on the corner of their mouth, and it seems that they are about to shed tears.Xavier has attended many churches before, but even those churches that have received a lot of donations may not be able to see such exquisite and vivid works.

They came late, most of the monks had already taken their seats, and Xavier led Isaac to sit in the corner.When Xavier was praying, Isaac did the same thing, but his eyes were fixed on two flies not far away, following their flight trajectories. Fortunately, because of the inconspicuous location, no one noticed this soldier-like bird. The disrespectful guy is rolling his eyes and deserting in public.

"We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way, and the LORD has laid on him our iniquity.

"..."

The monks worked 6-8 hours a day, and spent about 4 hours in prayer and chanting. The pious appearance of everyone made people feel peaceful when they saw it.

In fact, there is a calm and stable atmosphere everywhere in this monastery, and the rhythm has not been disturbed by the occasional murders that happened in the past few years.However, not everyone in God's herd is a lamb.

**

After praying, we finally got to the point. Xavier and Isaac sat on one side, and the dean sat on the opposite side. The expressions of the three were very serious. Among them, Isaac was as vigilant as a hound as much as possible because he was ordered. Unfriendly expression.

"I deeply regret Mr. Li's disappearance, and may the Lord bless him in safety. But as far as I can see, he behaved normally before he left," the dean recalled.

"Did he tell you why or where he left?" Xavier asked.

The dean pondered for a moment, glanced at Xavier, and said apologetically: "Mr. Li did mention a place name, but I don't remember it anymore. I didn't pay attention to it at the time."

"You know, before he disappeared, he was in the Abbey for a long time investigating David's case. I want to know how he is with the other monks, and I would like you to allow me to walk around the Abbey, alone Talk to some monks."

Xavier had tried to be as tactful as possible, but the dean was still taken aback by the words, and showed displeasure for a moment.That's understandable, after all, it's like saying there's a criminal hiding in the monastery.

The dean didn't speak for a while, and frowned uncomfortably.At this time, Xavier added another dimension: "Scotland Yard attaches great importance to this disappearance case. After all, Mr. Li is related to the last case that happened here. In addition, before his disappearance, there were some words that seemed to point the cause of the disappearance to the monastery. If there is any evidence to prove it, it will be a case that will shock Great Britain. I don't want to embarrass you, but-"

"Impossible, absolutely impossible!" the abbot interrupted him uneasily, and then apologized in a low voice, "there are good people in the monastery, sir. There are teachers and doctors among them, good people, decent people. You can't..."

Xavier had to spend some time reassuring the dean.

At this time, Isaac was still silently sitting aside like a loyal dog, thinking doubtfully that Xavier seemed to have stopped assisting Scotland Yard in solving the case a long time ago.He remembered that it had been published in the paper, in a small section... but that was not important.He was not one to dwell on things, and quickly forgot about it.

Isaac can do everything he's asked to do, and Xavier wants him to be a deterrent when necessary, and maybe now is the time.When Dean Robert was hesitating, he gave the old man a ferocious look, which made the poor guy tremble violently for a while, and cold sweat of bean size kept oozing out from the corner of his forehead, wet mottled gray hair; His hands were also tightly clenched together, and it was not difficult to imagine the state of muscle spasm under the long sleeves.

"What's wrong with you?" Xavier hurriedly stood up, "I'm a doctor, please let me see for you..."

The dean hastily made a stop movement, tremblingly took out a pack of pills from his body, took it with the cold water in front of him, adjusted his breathing, and calmed down after a long time.

He breathed a sigh of relief, smiled wryly and shook his head: "I made you laugh, Mr. Xavier. Don't worry, it's just something wrong with your body. When you get old, like a machine, all parts are worn out. I feel like I'm about to It’s like falling out of my body. It’s almost time to retire—well, I’ll notify the steward and other monks as soon as possible, it’d be great if I can help.”

It is natural for an old man who is suffering from illness and is about to retire not to want any mistakes during his tenure.Xavier understood him, and the dean smiled and said: "Mr. Li is a very gentle person. During the investigation of the monastery, although he had a general friendship with the monks, everyone had a good impression of him, so I don't think anyone is right. He has a grudge, except..." His words stopped abruptly here.

"Go ahead," Xavier said. "All our conversations will be kept private."

"This..." the dean still hesitated, "If I say someone, will that person be listed as a suspect?"

"In theory, yes, but please rest assured that innocent people will not be wronged."

After receiving Xavier's reassurance, the dean continued: "Mr. Li had a verbal conflict with Brother Daniel, and it was not serious. Jesus, Daniel is a good man, but his personality is too straightforward. Because of this, I never believe that he will do harm."

"Excuse me, Daniel?"

"It's David—may he rest in peace, David's cousin."

Xavier remembered that Li Qiming had discussed the existence of this cousin with himself.David's family has a limited inheritance land with an annual income of 500 pounds. After David, the only son, dies, it will fall into the name of his cousin Daniel.

"Daniel and David are close brothers. After David left, his grief was extraordinary. Such intense emotion is hard to fake. At least I don't believe the so-called rumors that Daniel plans to plot the property of David's family," the dean said, " In that mood, being suspected of murdering his brother by the Asian detective, Daniel got into an impulsive argument with him, but the two quickly reconciled."

Brotherly love may not always be credible, but the desire for profit is hard to fake, and this motive is tenable.Thinking about it, Xavier took out his notebook and began to write.

He glanced out the window, drew a three-legged bird casually on the paper with a serious face, pondered for a moment, and added some flowers and plants beside it.Isaac turned his head after only one glance, his masseter muscles tensed, and he was obviously holding back a smile.

No way, the great detective Xavier just likes to keep things in his head, and taking notes just makes him feel more reliable.

The reliable Xavier closed the notebook with a snap, and asked the dean how he was doing, and if it was possible to take them to Li Qiming's room now.

"Yes," the Dean stood up, "but the detective took all his personal belongings with him when he left, and maybe nothing will be left behind. Oh, Jesus, could he have been tricked by some villain? "

"Everything can happen, but we can't make a conclusion so early." Xavier laughed.

Li Qiming's room was in the middle of the third floor, and there were people living next to him. The monks could prove that he left the monastery by himself with the box.Because the room was idle, it was not cleaned in detail, but the pillows and bedding were changed. The rest of the place was basically empty, except for a tie that Li Qiming often wore in the corner of the closet, which proved that he had indeed stayed here.

Xavier still remembered the blood test reagent he brought to Li Qiming. After getting permission from the dean, he sprayed some on the place where there might be marks. Isaac again terrified the poor old man.

"That's all right now," Xavier said coolly, "We're completely at a loss, and we can't even grasp the progress of Li Qiming's previous investigation."

"The previous investigation," said the dean, "do you also think that those accidents were not accidents? How did Scotland Yard view them?"

"The previous case information has been found out and submitted to a special person for retrial."

"Jesus. If it's true...then I must be responsible for it." The dean lowered his head deeply, his lips trembling, and finally let out a barely audible sigh, "It's terrible."

"Please don't blame yourself," Xavier said consolingly. "We don't want the tragedy to happen, but it is uncontrollable. If the monks accidentally hear any rumors, please appease them before the matter is settled. lead to danger."

"I'm not worried about that. Alas, I shouldn't have said that... But in fact, I don't know if it was a coincidence or not. The dead have behaved more or less improperly, which often caused dissatisfaction among the monks. There are rumors that it was the Lord's death. I tried my best to stop them, but the news still spread like wildfire. However, because of this, there was no widespread panic in the monastery. God bless them, may they rest in peace."

……

Back in the room, Xavier had just locked the door, Isaac limp on the bed as if his bones had been pulled out, his military appearance was gone, it was more believable to say that he was a tramp at this time.

"It's been a long, long, long time since I've straightened my back this much," Isaac complained. "I'm craving macaroni..."

Xavier came and sat on the edge of the bed, scratching Isaac's chin, the succubus tail curled loosely around his wrist, and Isaac himself squinted and purred like a cat.

"Soldier Isaac, you still need to keep working hard," Xavier said. "Your posture is too stiff. Anyone who has actually been on the battlefield will definitely see it."

"What are you afraid of?" Isaac said, "Even if there is such a person, how can he do anything to me? It's just a human soldier, too weak, too weak."

"So you seem to be very powerful. I've wanted to say for a long time, you can still hold Mjolnir, does the succubus have such great strength?"

"I can't say, otherwise it will rain in London. However, if there is really a murderer in the monastery, a weak young man like you, it is definitely safer to bring me than an ordinary soldier.

"uh-huh?"

"I can catch the bullet," Isaac assured, patting his chest proudly, "No matter how bad it is, it will go through me before you."

"Oh my god, don't say that," Xavier exclaimed, "it doesn't matter who you or I change bodies, I'm the one who wrote the report in the end."

Isaac scratched his face with the tip of his tail and laughed.

Although Xavier's words were realistic, he was clearly in a better mood suddenly.He glanced furtively out of the window, and suddenly leaned over and kissed Isaac on the tip of his nose, and the latter grabbed his neck and made him fall on the soft chest of the succubus.

How depraved!

In a clean place like a monastery, an angel and a demon actually lock the door and hang out like kissing me and kissing you.

……

"Hey, Isaac," Xavier said, "I don't know if this is a good start. The two people I met today are not difficult to talk to."

Isaac was noncommittal: "You believers are as gentle and harmless as eunuchs."

"They seem to be normal, but the monastery itself is a bit abnormal," Xavier shook his head. "St. Benedictine advocates cleansing, but this monastery is obviously very rich."

The stained glass windows of the chapel, the religious paintings on the top, and the statues are all very expensive, which is somewhat unusual for a remote monastery that only accepts donations from believers.After all, it is located in a remote place, and there are very few people at the foot of the mountain, and the sum of each household may not be worth the assets of Xavier alone.

How many pounds will be spent in total for such a magnificent monastery and a large number of monks?

*Louis XVI: Emperor of France, also a genius locksmith, died under the guillotine he improved during the French revolution.

The monastery is elevated, and you can place it on any hill. The knowledge about religion comes from the few related works I have read and my Catholic friends, so it is not guaranteed to be accurate.The reason why the background of the monastery is set is because the plot is not exciting enough and theology must be used to make it up. I didn’t expect such a simple reason!

[Click forward to a chapter and you can see that I wrote a full-text character list. If you forget who is who in the future, you can look back. 】

This part will not be very long, and it should be relatively simple for old reasoners. Before revealing the secret, the first reader friend who guesses the murderer with a simple analysis can order a custom H episode, not necessarily Ze Xavier x Isaac, it's ok to mess around with rags, the only restriction is that you can't use Xavier.It doesn't matter if no one guesses right, I'm mentally prepared, so let's just pretend nothing happened...