Chapter 255: Lord of Plague, Yeats's Solution to the Problem

Guests with heavy faces stood outside the manor mansion.

The unexpected death of the Duke of Suffolk cast a shadow over everyone's heart.

Yeats and Crane came to the spiral staircase and found the Duke of Suffolk lying on the cold ground and had stopped breathing. Lady Lee Matilda was pale and tightly grasped her handkerchief, as if trying to restrain her body from trembling. Then her eyes rolled up and she fainted.

Yeats was standing closest to the Duchess and he quickly supported her.

Taking this opportunity, Ye Zhi mobilized a trace of magic power to sense her soul realm and found that she was just entering the threshold of transcendence and had only one ring on the Tree of Life.

Looking down, the Duchess's brows were furrowed, her eyelashes were trembling slightly, and the corners of her tightly pursed lips revealed sadness. It was hard to say that she was pretending.

Yeats had heard that the Duke of Suffolk and his lady had a deep affection for each other and were inseparable in almost all occasions, which was also consistent with her current behavior.

'Is my suspicion wrong, and the Duchess is unaware of the truth?'

Yeats couldn't help but ponder.

"If the Iron-masked Man that Perron saw was really the Duke of Suffolk, then why did he create the illusion that the Duke had died suddenly, and what connection did he have with the vampires?"

"Take care of the Duchess."

Cran glanced at Ye Zhi, then looked at the body beside the stairs, and said in a deep voice:

"First, we need to verify our identity, but this is very tricky."

"Why?"

"The Duke of Suffolk is infected with leprosy. This is not an ordinary disease of the same name. Even extraordinary people can be infected." Clan frowned and said, "This disease originates from the Lord of Plague. It is highly contagious. The slightest contact can cause infection. In mild cases, the patient will suffer from muscle weakness, and in severe cases, the patient will suffer from disfigurement, paralysis, and disability."

The Lord of Plague is extremely mysterious. Some people call him a demon from hell, while others call him a benevolent god. More than a hundred years ago, the "Black Death" that swept across the entire Middle-earth continent killed about one-third of the lives on the continent. This horrific plague came from the 'Lord of Plague'.

People are terrified of the 'Lord of Plague', but there are also patients infected with the Black Death who embrace and believe in the 'Lord of Plague'.

After the long epidemic finally ended, a massive witch-hunting movement arose. The Vatican pointed the finger at witches, believing that they were the culprits of the epidemic.

"The plague has no effect on me. If you need an autopsy assistant, I can help you." Ye Zhi said.

Crane looked at Yeats in surprise.

Yeats explained: "I am blessed with the goddess of youth, which can remove the influence of the plague."

As he spoke, Ye Zhi called upon the youthful divinity in his soul realm, and a verdant cardamom flower condensed in his hand. Wearing the cardamom flower on his chest, a faint divinity immediately lingered around him, providing protection for Ye Zhi.

Cran suddenly understood, with a hint of admiration in his eyes: "The Goddess of Youth is not only good at art, but also has corresponding authority in medicine. You are worthy of being Her chosen one."

Yeats handed the unconscious Duchess to the maid beside him.

Crane stood far away and directed Yeats to examine the body of the Duke of Suffolk.

The moment the iron mask was removed, a foul odor hit his face. Yeats frowned, suppressed his nausea, and looked at the real face under the mask: a deformed face covered with papules and plaques, swollen to the point that the appearance was almost unrecognizable, and the pus in the ulcers was mixed with blood.

In the realm of creation, there was a kind of yellow-green light that Yeats had never seen before. These light spots tried to penetrate into Yeats's soul and corrode his tree of life, but were blocked by 'Blessed Green Cardamom'.

"Is he the Duke of Suffolk?" Yeats turned and asked Crane.

"Yes, he is Suffolk——"

A dull and rough voice sounded.

Yeats looked back and saw a strong man as strong as an iron tower with scars on his face walking in with big strides.

The 'disease' had no effect on him at all, because this sturdy man was actually emitting an aura as high as six rings. He was the Hand of the King, the Six-Ring Knight Colin!

Colin's stern eyes swept across everyone present, finally settling on Ye Zhi, and he nodded slightly.

"Nice to meet you. I'm Colin, your Majesty's Royal Knight. I learned that the Duke of Suffolk had an accident, so I came here to investigate."

"Sir Colin, how can you be sure he is Suffolk?"

Facing the royal knight, Clan still held his pipe in his mouth and asked, "Have you ever seen his true face?"

Colin nodded and said, "Your Majesty ordered the Duke of Suffolk to remove his mask. I was beside Your Majesty at the time."

"But your one-sided statement alone is not enough to prove his identity." Cran glanced at the unconscious Duchess. "In my opinion, it is up to the Duchess to make the judgment."

Colin said coldly: "Are you questioning me?"

"I dare not, but there have been many murders in the city of London recently, causing panic among the people. Now another duke has met with an accident. We should be cautious in everything. What do you think?" Clan said with a smile.

Colin glanced at the Duchess who was supported by the maid, and released a stream of fiery red fighting spirit from his palm. Compared to the dark red scarlet fighting spirit, this red-gold fighting spirit with a golden glow was the symbol of the Six-Ring Knight.

This fighting spirit actually had a healing effect and slowly entered the Duchess' body.

The Duchess woke up slowly, her eyes fell on the Duke of Suffolk's face, and she let out a soft cry and showed signs of coma again.

"Madam, we would like to ask you to see if this is the Duke of Suffolk?" Yeats hurriedly asked.

Li Matilda said tremblingly with tears in her eyes: "Yes, he is Suffolk, but he was fine just now, how could he suddenly... just... "

The Duchess was already choking up and sobbing with her hands covering her face.

"Who was the first to discover the crime?" asked Crane.

"I..." The pale maid did not dare to look up. Under Clan's questioning, she said that the Duke of Suffolk was walking towards the stairs, suddenly stopped, and then fell straight back.

"I was very confused and stood there for a long time. Then I realized that I could no longer hear the Duke's breathing, so I ran out in a hurry..." the maid said tremblingly.

"Leprosy does not occur acutely. This case is definitely not an accident. It must have been premeditated."

Clan then had the gatekeeper called over and asked him if he had seen any suspicious figures.

He was a lame man, ugly, with slanted eyes and a flat nose. He was about forty years old, bald, and had tufts of pointed red hair on both sides of his head, which made him look a little funny.

In response to Clan's question, the gatekeeper said hesitantly, "At that time, all the masters were holding a dinner in the garden. I also drank some wine secretly. In a daze, I saw a man in a bright red robe sneaking out of the manor."

"How dare you drink! I let you stay out of kindness, and you still dare to do this to me and the Duke!"

For some reason, the Duchess suddenly flew into a rage, like a furious lioness, and screamed hysterically: "Come here, give this gatekeeper twenty lashes and drive him out of the manor!"

"Madam, I know I was wrong. I won't do it again, madam!" The gatekeeper knelt down and wailed.

"Wait a moment," Yeats asked. "What do you mean by letting him stay out of kindness?"

The Duchess's chest heaved, her beautiful eyes pierced Yeats, and she remained silent coldly.

The maid at the side said softly, "This old man was the gatekeeper of the previous owner of the manor. After the lady bought the manor, she was merciful and let him stay. But he didn't take care of the gate properly and even drank and messed up his work..."

"That's enough."

Li Matilda gave a cold scold, then looked at Crane, her attitude softened, her eyes flickering slightly.

"Whether my husband died in an accident or in a conspiracy, I implore you to find out the truth... Mr. Crane, this concerns me, my husband, and our two families."

"Don't the Duchess and the Duke have any children?" Cran asked suddenly.

"No."

"Then may I ask, who will take care of the Duke's funeral?"

What Cran meant was that he wanted to ask who the Duke's successor would be. In the absence of any offspring, only the successor would be qualified to handle the Duke of Suffolk's funeral.

The Duchess was silent for a long time, then sighed:

"His nephew should come to White Oak Manor."

Yeats could understand Crane's intention in asking this question.

Who is the biggest beneficiary of the Duke of Suffolk's death? Of course, his successor.

Lee Matilda had no right to inherit any title of the Duke of Suffolk. Even whether she could get a share of the family property depended on the heir's opinion. To be fair, she was the one who absolutely did not want to see the Duke of Suffolk die.

But now, the matter is done. Lee Matilda has lost her husband as well as her status, fame and wealth as a duchess.

Yeats saw that this elegant lady seemed to have aged a lot. In front of everyone, she walked to a chair in the corner of the hall and sat down. With shaking hands, she lit a thin long tobacco and asked the maid to pour her a glass of whiskey. She took a puff of the tobacco as if to quench her thirst, exhaled slowly, and drank the liquor in one gulp. There was still lingering sadness in her eyes.

Why is she sad? Is it because of the departure of her lover or the gap in her status? Only she knows this.

Yeats suddenly realized that Colin's eyes were also fixed on Lady Lee Matilda.

When this giant gazed at the Duchess, there was a hint of tenderness hidden in his eyes.

Is there a story between these two people?

The Duke of Suffolk was physically disabled and his wife was in her prime.

If Colin was Mrs. Lee Matilda's lover, then it would be much easier to explain why he received the news so quickly and rushed to White Oak Manor...

Suddenly, Ye Zhi felt a chill, and a chill spread from the soles of his feet to the top of his head.

Lord Blood Spider is most likely a Six-Ring Master.

If Colin is the Blood Spider.

Then, doesn't he also have the same rights as the Duke, and can also develop the Scarlet Society under the nose of the Lionheart King? No!

Yeats felt that this speculation had some loopholes.

Colin must have been through thick and thin with the Lionheart, otherwise the Lionheart would not have made him the Hand of the King and put him in charge of investigating the Blood Spider and the Scarlet Society.

There must be something wrong. Yeats frowned. The answer must be nearby! Whether it was Perron falling into a trap, the real Duke of Suffolk, or the affair between the Duchess and the King's Hand... all these clues led to the huge scarlet spider like a spider's web.

Someone was deliberately leading me to speculate in the wrong direction. That person must be someone who knew Peren's character, was able to take advantage of the situation, and was well aware of Clan's pursuit of the Blood Spider Prince.

In an instant.

Please...collect 6...9...books...!

It seemed as if a flash of inspiration came to me.

Ye Zhi's eyes were deep, and he vaguely felt the answer.

But this answer still needs to be verified by facts.

"If the true identity of the Blood Spider Lord is as I suspected, then the news that June and I were tracking down the Blood Spider Lord must have been exposed."

Ye Zhi thought to himself: "If I were Lord Blood Spider, and wanted to clear myself of suspicion, I would create a target with greater suspicion - June and I are the best tools to divert suspicion."

"If I go to the Duke of Alba's territory, I will definitely be ambushed. The one who attacks me will not be the Blood Spider Duke himself, but the Five Rings Marquis..."

"June and I are only four rings, and we can never be a match for a five ring marquis. Once June is assassinated, the Lannister family and the Wick family will surely be in turmoil, and a civil war will break out, and the vampires' conspiracy will soon succeed."

"But there is a twist in this situation that I didn't expect—"

Ye Zhi's eyes flickered.

"Although I am only a fourth-ring, I can now kill a fifth-ring marquis alone!"

It was already late at night when we left White Oak Manor.

Yeats asked Cran to deal with Perron's case. Perron was a major suspect in this case, and Yeats had no way to bail him out for the time being. He could only clear his suspicion after finding the real murderer.

Clan is a hereditary noble and can take care of Perren so that he will not be abused.

Yeats and June agreed to discuss the matter in detail at Silver Birch Manor the next day, and then took a carriage with Calvin, crossing the London Bridge and returning to the North Bank.

As the night deepened, the carriage slowly drove away from Lundu Tower and into the carriage covered with a barrier.

Calvin frowned and said:

"I never thought that the Duke of Suffolk would have an accident at this critical moment. My father suspected that the Duke of Suffolk was a big suspect, but now the clues are broken."

"It's possible that he faked his death."

"suspended animation?"

"Aren't vampires the best at faking death?" Yeats said calmly, "Perhaps, on the day of the Duke of Suffolk's funeral, the coffin was empty, and the Duke of Suffolk had already escaped."

"According to you, the Duke of Suffolk is the Blood Spider Lord?" Calvin said in surprise.

Ye Zhi smiled mysteriously and said, "What is the clue your father asked you to pass on to me?"

Looking at Baron Yeats's strategizing look, Calvin couldn't help but sigh inwardly that if Baron Yeats could really catch the Bloody Spider Duke, he might be able to get the title of Duke!

By then, a battle between the two great dukes of the northern province would be inevitable...

Calvin shook his head to dispel the unpleasant associations and said seriously:

"My father has not gained nothing in recent days. He captured a blood count and pried out important information from him."

"What information?"

"In the Scarlet Society, there is a duke and two marquises. The duke is good at spearmanship, while the two marquises are good at illusion and disguise assassination respectively."

Calvin said, "Before, the vampire marquis that you and your father killed together was good at illusion. So, there should be another vampire marquis who is good at disguise and assassination."

"It's pretty much what I guessed." Ye Zhi nodded slowly: "Please tell Duke Thomas that I have found a way to break the impasse."

"What method?" Calvin asked in surprise.

"Use yourself as bait and wait for the fish to take the bait!"

*Leo Palace.

It was mid-morning, and the sun shone on the Lionheart who was leaning his head on his hand on the throne. Richard asked solemnly, "Have you found out anything?"

"The deceased is indeed the Duke of Suffolk. The disease on his body and his appearance are enough to prove that the deceased is him." Colin said respectfully.

Richard said coldly: "The disease and appearance can be disguised. The key lies in the soul realm, which is the foundation of a transcendent...Have you paid attention to what kind of fighting spirit the deceased used?"

"I did scout his soul realm, and there is nothing special about the power seed of Dou Qi." Colin said.

"That means the deceased is not the Duke of Suffolk at all!" Richard suddenly shouted.

Colin was slightly startled.

Richard said, "I still remember Suffolk. He was disabled since childhood due to leprosy, but his will was very strong, so he practiced [Furnace Fighting Qi] and has the power seed of Furnace Fighting Qi in his body!"

Ke Lin's forehead was covered with cold sweat. He immediately knelt on one knee and said, "I was careless. Please forgive me, Your Majesty!"

Richard's tone softened a bit: "Very few people know about this matter. It's not your fault that you don't know the inside story."

"But." Richard changed the subject and said coldly, "You must find out the whereabouts of the real Duke of Suffolk and bring him back to see me!"

"I obey your command!"

At this time, a servant came to the hall and said, "Your Majesty, the Duke of Alba is outside the hall asking for an audience."

"Alba?" Richard narrowed his eyes slightly, "Let him in!"

The Duke of Alba has a solemn appearance, thick black hair, clear facial features, and is wearing armor. There is an eagle pattern on his cloak, a scabbard on his waist, and he looks majestic.

Arriving at the palace, the Duke of Alba knelt on one knee and made an admonition:

"Your Majesty, there is a group of rioters in my territory. I beg you to allow me to leave Lundu and suppress this group of rioters!"

Richard did not comment and said, "Have you figured out the reason why they are causing the riot?"

"That group of mobs believe in paganism and are unwilling to pay taxes. This is a great disrespect to God!" said the Duke of Alba coldly.

King Lionheart shook his head but said nothing. Theocracy was a constraint on monarchy, but he was no longer able to resolve the hidden danger of the Vatican for his daughter. He could only hope that the Protestants in the Kingdom of Golden Lion could consume each other with the Vatican and give his daughter a chance to secure the throne.

"Go and give my regards to Archbishop Torbin of the Northern Diocese."

"Yes, Your Majesty." The Duke of Alba paused for a moment and said, "Your Majesty, I heard that the Duke of Suffolk died unexpectedly. Is this... related to the vampires?"

"What do you want to say? You might as well say it boldly." King Lionheart said coldly.

The Duke of Alba took a deep breath and said, "Your Majesty, the reason why the blood clan is so rampant is that I think it has a lot to do with the ignorance of the people and the confusion of the royal family's beliefs! Why not follow the example of Emperor Lorraine and establish Holy Light as the state religion? In this way, the Crusaders and priests can also become the mainstay in the fight against the blood clan!"

Richard responded to the request with a blank expression.

The Crusaders came to curb the vampires? Then who would curb the Crusaders? The Duke of Alba was a religious fanatic, which was not good. The Dukedom of the northern province should be held by nobles who were more loyal to the royal power.

Yeats Browndy.

He is a descendant of a prominent family and a chosen one for the arts, so he has a bright future.

In a few days, there will be a knights' duel tournament.

If Ye Zhi can show the potential to become a five-ring hero, it will pave the way for him to be conferred the title of Duke in the future.

The Lionheart King was already looking forward to meeting Yeats, and murmured in a low voice:

"Duke of Morningfrost Ridge? Oh, maybe he can come up with a better title himself..."

(End of this chapter)