The Book of Hibernation

Winter Thistle looked at Bellos with fragile, weary eyes.But to Bellows, this exhaustion seemed mixed with hesitation.

Bellos bent down slightly, looked into Winter Thistle's eyes, and said in a gentle voice: "Winter Thistle, don't be afraid. As far as I know, you are a very good refiner. I have seen the enchanting tools you made , they can prove that you have extraordinary talents and learning. Not only the workshops near Harbor City need you, but also the chamber of commerce. I hope you calm down, think about your future, and think about what kindness and justice mean. If someone coerces you You speak out about these allegations, then you can expose him, you are safe here. He is responsible for all this, not you."

Winter Thistle smiled lightly and shook her head.Bellos frowned.

Winter Thistle shook his head not to deny anything, he just thought it was a little funny.

The words Bellos said to him now are similar to what he said to the mercenary yesterday.

He remembered that when he first met "Mage Wu Yun", he and Wu Yun fell in love with the same book case.If Wu Yun was really just an ordinary mage, maybe the two of them would have similar ideas, and maybe they would have a chance to become friends.

Bellos just mentioned the enchanting tools made by winter thistle.The pieces of soft leather were put in the book case by the Winter Thistle, and returned to Bellos through March.

Bellows must have mentioned this on purpose, he was throwing an olive branch.

Winter Thistle thinks that Bellos will probably throw away the book case, after all, the book case itself is useless, but he will definitely keep the few short-term enchanting tools.

They are very thin and small, so they are easy to hide. They are things that other refiners cannot make, and they have research value.

Others might not attach great importance to them, but Bayrows certainly would.

Because he is not only a businessman, but also a mage.

Anyway, Bellos left behind enchanting tools.This is important for winter thistles.

Winter Ji said slowly: "My lord, no one is coercing me. Just now you and Chief Maida mentioned mercenaries and they were sent to rescue me... I don't know about these. Since I don't know, I will never I will not make it up now. If you ask questions, I will answer them, but I will only answer the conclusions I know and agree with."

Bellows sighed, and walked a few steps aside, but did not return to his seat.

While they were talking, the head of Mai Da kept bowing his head in deep thought.Now he spoke again: "Refiner, did you see that woman poisoned with your own eyes?"

Winter Thistle replied, "I didn't see it with my own eyes."

"Then why do you think she did it?"

"Because she voluntarily confessed to me another murder. She killed an old man in the poorhouse named Rosa. Irene poisoned her tranquilizer, also with purple sage juice."

Hearing what happened in the almshouse, the mages raised their heads one after another.Just this morning, the old researchers on the Wuta Peninsula just re-investigated the remains.

Maida asked, "So, you think she did both?"

Winter Thistle replied: "The purple sage juice is a finished poison that only spellcasters can concoct, and ordinary people cannot obtain it. In Harbor City, she is the only one who has ever used it."

The head of Mai Da nodded, but did not continue to ask.He didn't want to ask too deeply, but just threw out an introduction to let Winter Thistle talk about the poorhouse.

The topic caught the attention of the Austrian and French Federation.The mage present asked, "What is the identity of the Irene Tarr you mentioned? Is she also a mage?"

"Yes, she is a spellcaster too," said Winter Thistle.

"Toxicology?"

"Necronomicon."

There was another commotion in the courtroom.

Manager Mai Da squinted his long and narrow eyes, and said in a threatening tone: "Refiner, be careful what you say, that woman is the envoy of Lord Bellos. You mean, she not only poisoned an old man, Still want to murder the mercenaries from yesterday, and she is also a necromancer?"

"As far as I know, it is," said Winter Thistle.

Bellows stared at him. "Who taught you to say that?"

"It's Irene Tull. She told me she killed a man herself."

"Is this logical? She framed herself? Faced the death penalty? Is she crazy?"

At this time, the courtier of the royal capital cleared his throat, interrupted Bellos, and winked at the consul next to him.

The consul said to the crowd: "Don't be impatient. We have sent someone to find Irene Tal. After finding her, we will also need her confession."

"What if we can't find her?" Mai Da followed quickly, "Wouldn't the matter of poisoning be found out forever?"

The consul said: "That doesn't matter. Most of the mercenaries are still alive. While arresting Ms. Tal, we can interrogate them first."

Mai Da said: "It should be so. But I want to remind everyone that the client of the mercenary may have given them benefits in advance, or threatened them so that they dare not tell the truth."

Aldin continued his words: "It's not difficult. They are all members of the Peregrine Mercenary Corps, the Chamber of Commerce's own people. We can make promises to them, keep their families safe, and tell them that if Not telling the truth is an enemy of the Shifan Street Chamber of Commerce. They will weigh the stakes themselves."

Mai Da said: "What if their client is a member of the chamber of commerce? Maybe this person is on the scene, it may be me, it may be you, or even Lord Bellos. In front of us, they dare to say the truth talk?"

Bellows glanced at him and didn't say much.Maida deliberately avoided his gaze.

At this time, the old mage of the Arcane Federation stood up and said, "My lords, please interrupt you. I'm afraid I'm going to say something you don't like."

The mages used to say things that others didn't like, and this old man was polite enough.

Wangdu Tingchen looked at him, raised his hand in greeting, and let him continue.

The old man looked at the chair of the presiding judge: "Everyone, this interrogation process is really too cumbersome and too long. Businessmen are always entangled in some details, thinking about protecting their own interests in every sentence, and they make the trial more and more biased. Our top priority is to find the forces behind the underground market. In this place, someone is cooperating with the northern Frostlands, sending resources to the necromancers, and assisting the Frostlands people to carry out various blasphemy activities. Everyone, take a look The window on the top, it’s getting late now, maybe the trial will be interrupted again, and it will be postponed for another day, and then it will be delayed for another day... While we are slowly coordinating various affairs, the power of the necromancer But they are on the move, they will find ways to escape from Harbor City, and they will have enough time to cover up their whereabouts and physical evidence... Now, we just need to interrogate the mercenaries, and we just need to hurry up and bring people up for questioning. As for procrastinating? As for this refiner, he has already provided the suspect of poisoning, as long as he is asked to testify about his cooperation with the northern Frostfield, nothing will happen to him."

Listening to the old mage's words, the royal court officials nodded repeatedly.After all, the two have been friends for many years, and they have a tacit understanding in this regard.

The interrogator, the consul and the royal courtiers whispered to each other for a while.Finally, the consul said: "We will start interrogating the mercenaries immediately. In order to avoid confusion, only bring one person to the court for interrogation at a time. Executioner, first bring the refiner to the cell."

The executioner nodded, and went to unlock the lock on Winter Thistle's hand.

When the two executioners were holding the winter thistle, Chief Mai Da began to ask actively again: "Why, is the interrogation of the refiner delayed until tomorrow?"

"No," the consul replied, "We need him to confess as soon as possible how he cooperated with the northern necromancer. We have already asked the key questions. As for the details, the judge will interrogate him alone."

After he finished speaking, he nodded to the judge.The judge tidied up the documents at hand, got up and walked down.

After hearing the "separate interrogation", Bellos' eyes sank.

He looked at the mages: "Forgive me for being abrupt, I want to ask, everyone has already checked the refiner Winter Ji, is he a necromancer?"

On the table in front of the mages lay some belongings of Winter Thistle.

The old mage just said: "We have roughly detected the fluctuation of spells on him, and also checked his spell-casting materials. There are indeed some contraband items in it, but they are only related to regional bans, and have nothing to do with Necromancy School. From these evidences, he should not be a necromancer. But he may still cooperate with a necromancer."

Bellos nodded and turned to the chair of the trial: "Since he is not a necromancer, at least it can show that he is not dangerous at this moment, and we can rest assured. Everyone, of course we need to let him confess who But at the same time, we should also pay attention to the scale and ensure his personal safety."

Aldin smiled and said, "Lord Bellows, what are you worried about? They are just interrogating him, not executing him."

Bellos looked at Aldin, frowning slightly.

Aldin looked indifferent, as if he wasn't worried about Winter Thistle. In contrast, Bellos was a little restless.

"You don't know that, do you?" Bellows said. "Once a prisoner is taken out of the courtroom and interrogated alone, it usually means that torture may be used."

Aldin said: "I know. The rules of the Harbor City have always been like this, and so has the Inquisition in Sandonia."

"You..." Bellows came to his lips, but didn't say it.

He simply changed the second half of the sentence: "A refiner is a very rare talent. I hope that half-elf can get a chance to come back from the wrong way."

Aldin nodded again and again: "I agree with this. But you are too worried. He will not be executed immediately. He must have a chance to repent."

The old mage on the opposite side raised his eyes and sighed again: "You businessmen, it's really hard to talk. Your Excellency, what they mean is that they hope you don't hurt the mage's hand."

The consul nodded: "Of course, please rest assured. We are not the Temple of Otarot, and we will not specifically fight against the hands of mages."

Bellos wanted to say something more, but the consul no longer wanted to stick to this topic.He flipped through another case file and asked the guard to bring the mercenary for questioning.

The judge and the executioner lifted Winter Thistle and led him to the exit of the hall.Winter Thistle said nothing, but followed them obediently.

When passing in front of Aldin, Winter Thistle glanced at him, then quickly looked away.

Aldine was staring at Bellos, not making eye contact with Winter Thistle.

==============

After Winter Thistle left, the mercenaries were brought into the courtroom one by one, one at a time.

The first mercenary who came in held his head high, with a look of determination on his face.But when he saw the directors and chief of the chamber of commerce, his expression froze for a moment, and he seemed to be getting more and more confident.

He hesitated for a moment, and said that he didn't know who the client was, only their captain knew.The consul asked him where he was going after he robbed the refiner.The mercenary still answered that he didn't know.

The Archon questioned his account.The soldiers of the city guard saw that the mercenaries hijacked the carriage and ran out of the city. They had already taken action, so why didn't they know where they were going?

So the mercenary explained that he didn't pay attention when he set off, or maybe the captain didn't say anything, and said that he would tell them after he left, but he didn't know anything anyway.

He was taken down, and the captain was the second to come in.The captain couldn't deny that he didn't know, so the changing situation on his face became even more intense.

When he was in the dungeon, he had been almost convinced by Winter Thistle, and felt that he should tell the truth so as not to get involved in bigger troubles.But now, being stared at by the chief executive and officers of the chamber of commerce, his body felt chills, and the truth in his stomach was stuck in his throat, and he dared not spit it out.

In the end, his heart broke, and he decided to swallow the truth, and instead confessed the lie they had concocted in advance: "Yes... it was Aldin who was in charge and asked us to save people."

The consul frowned: "Aldin, is that really the case?"

Under the gaze of many pairs of eyes, Aldin nodded.

When he nodded, Bellos Jr. was slightly stunned, Manager Mai Da and the consul were also very surprised, and the mercenary captain's eyes widened in shock.

Aldin looked at the mercenary captain: "There is indeed such a thing. I was very anxious when I heard the news that Winter Thistle had escaped from the city, and I really wanted to get him back quickly. But I was somewhat implicated by the incident in the poorhouse , it is inconvenient to send my own people to look for it, so I went to the captain privately. I remember your name is Buck, right?"

The captain nodded in confusion, not knowing what Aldin wanted to say.

The consul didn't care what the man's name was. He asked Aldin, "Where do you want to take the refiner?"

Aldin said: "Of course it is brought back to Harbor City. He has something to do with the necromancer. If he runs away, many things will be unclear. That will not be good for me."

"There are city guards in charge of arresting, why do you need to hire soldiers?"

"I hope to find Winter Thistle before the city guards. I'm afraid he will resist and clash with the city guards... I have a little friendship with him, and I don't want to see him beaten to death before being escorted back."

The consul sighed and nodded, seeming to fully understand what Aldin meant.

Manager Mai Da turned his head to look at Aldin, and asked not at all tactfully: "So the rumors are true? Did you really sleep with that refiner?"

Aldin was also very frank: "It's not a rumor, it's a fact."

"I don't think you doted on him much," Mai Da sneered a few times, "Seeing him being taken down by the interrogator, you didn't feel bad at all."

Aldean said, "That's different. In that respect, I think as does the Chief Monsieur."

Bellows gave him a sideways glance, not knowing how the words came to him again.

Aldin explained: "The soldiers of the city guards are all young men, and they don't know the severity of the attack, but the interrogators and executioners in Harbor City are very experienced, and generally they don't make prisoners disabled. The chief lord also said just now, A refiner is a rare talent, and we should cherish it."

The mercenary captain could no longer understand what they were talking about. He stared blankly at Aldin, then at the consul, and then at Bellos.

The consul looked at the mercenary captain again: "Did you really accept the employment of Aldin in charge?"

"Well... yes, I've accepted the employment." The mercenary captain said.It was he who said it first, and now he can only continue to admit it.

"How much did he pay you?"

The mercenary captain was dumbfounded.If he followed up with a reasonable number, the consul would definitely ask him to hand over the money, but he obviously couldn't.If he said that Aldin didn't hire him, it would be inconsistent with his voluntary confession just now.

He also couldn't say that he had spent the money. During the whole process, there was no time for him to spend the money.

So he could only say: "I haven't got the money yet..."

The head of Mai Da immediately asked: "You went to work for him before you got the money?"

The captain said, "Because he...he said he would give me the money after I came back."

"He was right. I promised him a bag of silver coins and a gold coin if he would bring me back," Aldin said.

Manager Mai Da narrowed his eyes: "Oh? That's not right, why do I feel like he doesn't want your money at all?"

Aldin smiled: "Yeah, I was also surprised. Maybe he charged more than me. Obviously, someone else bid higher than me."

The mercenary captain became more and more confused, and didn't understand what they meant at all.But the consul and the other attendees understood.

According to the testimony of the city guards, the group of mercenaries robbed the carriage and divided into two groups. One group fled immediately, while the other continued to besiege the city guards.The direction they fled was not Harbor City, but away from Harbor City.

Not only the city guards could prove this, but also Mai Da's mercenaries and members of the Carlos family from outside the city all witnessed this scene.

Now, the mercenary captain said that he was hired by Aldin, and said in person that "you can only get the money when you come back"... This obviously contradicted the behavior of the mercenaries.

The consul discussed with the courtiers of the royal capital, and without further questioning, ordered the mercenary captain to be brought down.