Chapter 30 Dionysus Festival 08

There was silence deep in the wine cellar, with only a few dim oil lamps emitting faint light.

Zhu Yu and Sophia hid behind tall wine barrels, one in front and one behind, holding their breath and observing the intruding figures.

There were five people in total, all masked, and they moved without any hesitation. It was obvious that this was not the first time they had done this.

They avoided the main passage, walked quickly through several rows of wine racks, and headed straight for the secret room where the "golden cup" was hidden.

Zhu Yu could feel Sophia's breathing becoming rapid, and beads of sweat appeared on his palms.

"Calm down." She quietly pulled the bowstring, her eyes never leaving the group of people.

After stopping in front of an open space, the group of invaders did not act rashly. Instead, they dispersed on both sides of the area, knocking tentatively on the walls or leaning over to twist the cocks of a few wine barrels, trying to find a mechanism.

Soon, two people began to get impatient. They took out their weapons and tried to force their way into the wall of the secret door.

The leader quickly held down their hands and whispered a few words of reprimand, his tone revealing restrained anger, as if he was worried that the noise would be too loud and would attract others.

Zhu Yu narrowed his eyes - looking at the situation, this group of people might know the approximate location of the secret room, but they don't know the correct way to open it.

At this moment, there were faint sounds of footsteps coming from the distance, accompanied by some noisy shouts.

Zhu Yu and Sophia looked at each other and realized at the same time that other people in the manor had noticed something unusual and were rushing over here.

The five people also heard the noise.

The leader cursed softly, then waved his hand, signaling the rest of the people to evacuate quickly.

Seeing that the group of people were about to disappear in the passage leading to the side door in just a few steps, Zhu Yu did not hesitate. She raised her hand to signal Sophia to stay where she was, and she went around the shadow of the wine barrel and chased after them quietly.

She had to find out who these people were and who sent them.

The night breeze blew gently, and the grass leaves rustled.

Zhu Yu followed lurking all the way, bypassing the streets and alleys, and finally stopped in front of a high-walled courtyard.

The iron fence in front of the mansion was entwined with blooming rose vines.

Through the gap in the gate, she could still see the meticulously maintained garden and flower beds inside.

After the group of people entered the gate, Zhu Yu seized the opportunity, flipped over and jumped onto the wall, landing almost silently, his movements as light as a cat.

She walked along the edge of the garden, observing the decorations and statues in the courtyard, and found that even the copper drainage pipes under the eaves were carved with patterns. This kind of taste and pomp is not something that ordinary people can have.

"It seems that the people who live here are either rich or noble."

Zhu Yu thought secretly and continued to move forward along the wall.

Not long after walking, she saw the leader suddenly waved his hand, signaling the others to retreat, and then walked through the side corridor alone and turned into a door.

Zhu Yu took out the last invisibility card without hesitation, and his entire figure instantly blended into the night, almost indistinguishable from the air.

She followed closely behind the leader and swaggered past the guards guarding the door.

It was not until he slipped behind a large cupboard filled with miscellaneous items in the house that Zhu Yu regained his vigilance and half-crouched in the shadows.

As soon as the card's invisibility effect disappeared, a familiar voice sounded in the house.

"Did you get anything this time?"

Consul Albert spoke in a low voice.

"They should have discovered our purpose of setting fire to the tavern soon, so we don't have much time to study the secret room mechanism."

The leading man in black took off his mask and whispered:

“But this time it almost worked.”

"How come I failed again? How can I explain this to that master?"

Governor Albert's tone was mixed with irritation and depression.

He paced back and forth in the room, the soles of his boots making a dull sound on the wooden floor, as if it could grind out the anger suppressed in his chest.

"The last time you failed, a murder occurred - Elena almost died at the hands of your people - do you know how much effort I put into suppressing it?"

"This time you took a huge risk and burned down someone's tavern, but you came back empty-handed! You are such a useless bunch!"

The leading man in black kept his head down and dared not say a word. There was a hint of embarrassment and frustration on his face, as if he was used to such scolding.

Albert took a deep breath, but still couldn't suppress his anger, and said coldly:

"The Dionysian Festival is coming soon. If you don't want your business of smuggling fermented wine and adulterating wine to be exposed, then stop being so stupid. Otherwise... don't blame me for turning my back on you."

"……Understood."

Albert waved his hands and said in annoyance: "Go away! Don't show up in front of me until you get the golden cup!"

The man in black retreated without saying a word.

The room suddenly became quiet.

The consul stood alone under the lamp, his face as gloomy as water and his chest heaving violently.

He stood there for a long while before he instructed an attendant standing outside the house:

"Go to the courtroom tomorrow morning and ask someone to re-write tonight's attendance record. Replace the names with unrelated people. Remember to handle it cleanly so that no one can find any flaws."

The noise outside gradually died down, and Zhu Yu quietly poked half of his head out from behind the cupboard.

The guards outside had been transferred away. This room was located in a remote area and only Consul Albert was inside.

Her eyes turned and a sudden plan came to her mind.

At this moment, Consul Albert was standing by the fireplace, drinking by himself, as if he wanted to suppress the irritability in his heart with the strong liquor.

Zhu Yu quietly rushed behind him and quickly covered his mouth with a cloth.

“Ugh—!”

Governor Albert's eyes widened in horror. Before he could react, a heavy punch hit his abdomen, causing him to stagger back and knock over the chair behind him.

"Don't move if you want to save your life," Zhu Yu threatened in a low voice.

"Sovereign Albert, as the manager of the town of Arce, how dare you do these things?"

Zhu Yu did not loosen her grip until Albert was completely quiet. Then she let go, pulled him up, and held him against the wall with his arms behind his back.

"You knew that someone was selling fermented wine infected with plague on the black market, but you did not stop it and deliberately allowed the wine to flow into civilian areas."

"Do you still care about the lives of the townspeople?"

"Woo-woo--!" Governor Albert finally recognized Zhu Yu's identity. He began to struggle again, his eyes full of fear, shame and anger.

Seeing this, Zhu Yu raised his knee and hit him hard in the abdomen. Albert almost fell to his knees in pain.

"You also coveted the alchemical relic, the golden cup. For this, your men almost killed Ai... and now you set fire to my tavern. Do you really think I'm a weakling from outside your hometown?"

Zhu Yu recalled the conversation between the two of them just now, put the dagger against the Archon's neck, and continued to ask:

"Tell me, who is that 'adult' you are talking about?"

"I...I really don't know!"

Governor Albert leaned against the cold wall and said in a trembling voice:

"Every time we exchanged information through messengers, I only knew that he was from the royal city of Villanova... We had never met each other offline."

Zhu Yu threw a few more punches with an expressionless face until he was sure that what the other party said was true. Apart from the amount of gold, silver and jewelry given to him by the mysterious man, the warehouse where the wine was stored, and the batches of fake wine that entered the market, he really didn't know the true identity of the person behind the scenes.

Zhu Yu stood up and said to 996 in his mind:

"996, tell Betty to bring George and all the reliable men to Governor Albert's residence immediately and take control of everyone inside. Remember not to alert outsiders."

***

Meanwhile, at the winery.

After George and others rushed to the winery from the Golden Cup Tavern, they have not been able to get in touch with Zhu Yu.

Just when even the usually calm Betty couldn't help but start pacing back and forth at the door of the wine cellar, the group finally received a new task from 996.

"Let's go!"

Betty George 996 led his men in batches to quietly leave the winery and rush to the governor's residence as quickly as possible.

***

At this time, the atmosphere in Governor Albert's residence was extremely quiet and eerie.

Zhu Yu moved calmly and efficiently, wrapping a strong hemp rope around Albert's wrists, arms, shoulders and knees, binding him tightly so that he could not move.

Just as she finished tying the last knot, there was a slight sound behind her and the door was quietly pushed open.

George, Betty and several of their entourage filed in, looking alert and holding weapons.

Betty nodded slightly to Zhu Yu, and Zhu Yu understood in his heart - this mansion has been completely controlled.

Seeing the Archon who was tied up like a dumpling in the house, George couldn't help but raise his eyebrows:

"Sister, are we...having a direct coup?"

Zhu Yu ignored his teasing, stood up, and briefly informed everyone of the information he had just extracted from Albert.

After hearing this, George groaned, walked up to the Archon and kicked him rudely, sneering:

"What a greedy dog."

"Since we don't know the identity of the person behind the Archon, we can only conceal this matter for the time being. From now on, the entire mansion will be under our control. George, you and your men will take over the gate, the courtyard, and all the passages leading to the outside world. No one is allowed to enter or leave at will."

"Okay, sister."

"Betty, you will be responsible for recording the interrogation, communicating with the messenger crows, and classifying and archiving all the information."

"receive."

"The rest of you, take turns on guard duty and do not let your guard down. He still needs to keep in touch with the 'master' in the royal city - but this time, we will write the letter for him."

When Albert heard this, he shook his head and struggled frantically, but Zhu Yu just leaned over and smiled softly in his ear:

"Don't worry, you are still the governor of this town for the time being. But from now on... your every move will be subject to my command."

***

The next morning, the courtroom building was filled with whispers, but the atmosphere was not peaceful.

During the routine handover, the law enforcers exchanged gossip in low voices:

"Have you heard? Consul Albert fell ill last night. It is said that he was infected with plague!"

"Is this true? Hasn't he always been healthy?"

"Who knows? I heard that he started having a high fever in the early morning and had spots on his body. Now he has been locked up at home in quarantine and no one can see him."

"Tsk, this is too sudden..."

Before the discussion died down, the sound of footsteps was heard.

Zhu Yu, wearing a clean and tidy white robe, walked calmly into the Law Enforcement Hall. She glanced at everyone as usual, and then greeted the person walking in front of her:

"Good morning, Captain Rhine."