Chapter 104 Slaves
The snow in Black County tonight was so unusually heavy that it absorbed all the coal dust that seemed to have been floating over the mining area since the creation of the world by Ambrose, the god of origin.
The machines in the mine stopped operating for nearly two months, so many people in Black County saw white snow for the first time in decades - this was even enough to encourage children to leave their beds, which were finally warm, and curiously use their tongues to catch the light and crystal fragments that seemed to come from the clouds.
The Church of Light stood silently in the heavy snow, its pointed tower piercing the snow curtain and growing towards the depths of the endless sky, allowing the dense snowflakes to cover the outline of the building and the outlines of people.
In Pit No. 2 of the Yinhua Mine, everyone's eyes were fixed on the translucent image projected from the shadow stone.
Perhaps because it was night, the picture was not very clear, but the security guard's heavy footsteps, the sound of his breath to keep warm, and even the sound of his teeth chattering due to the cold were all clearly visible.
Immediately, many reporters cast envious glances at them: compared to the bulky and troublesome traditional camera - many bored nobles would even ask for it to be operated by a sorcerer instead of being activated by jet in order to show their status - the photo stone was extremely convenient and lightweight.
However, it is conceivable that the price will also be very touching, and it is definitely not affordable for ordinary people.
Gerard Money's mustache danced even more merrily as he quietly advertised his flagship product. He cheerfully demonstrated the fast-forward function until everyone heard two gunshots on the screen, and the person in charge slowed it down.
The security guards were running, the screen was shaking violently, and everyone's eyes were wide open, hoping to find something from the replay of the union chairman's death.
"What's that?" someone suddenly shouted, "Go a little further, just to the left edge of the picture..."
The person in charge replayed the audio bit by bit, and this time everyone saw it.
——It was a piece of white robe embroidered with gold thread.
Few people in Black County wore white, not even the wealthy nobles who could change five outfits a day. After all, no one wanted to be covered in a layer of dirty, conspicuous, and disrespectful coal dust after just ten minutes outside.
But everyone knows that the people of the Glorious Church always dress in gold and white as the main colors, and match them with luxurious gems of various colors. The whole body is shining and it will hurt people's eyes in the sun.
"Frame-up! Blatant frame-up!" Everyone fell into an eerie silence. Gerard Mony suddenly stepped forward and solemnly shouted, "If you want to summon the union chairman, His Eminence the Cardinal can meet with someone anytime. Why would he have to sneak around in a mine in the middle of the night?!"
The reporters' shutters snapped wildly. Pavaton Miller maintained his usual calm demeanor, his fingers slightly clenching around his scepter. Though only a fragment of his robe was visible, the head of the "Protector" company immediately concluded that the Cardinal had appeared in Mine No. 2 tonight.
...In addition to Gad Mavro, this person also knew about the private transaction between the Glorious Church and the authorities of Blake County, and this transaction on coal concentrate did not even take place for less than three days.
Who was it? Who leaked the news? Who was it that enveloped him like a dark night, leading him unknowingly step by step into the fatal quagmire?
"I think we've found the reason." The woman's voice drowned out everyone else. Guy Mavro's wife slowly stood up and showed everyone a piece of paper that looked like it was covered in handwriting.
"Dear gentlemen, I am Raya, wife of Gad Mavro."
The woman took a deep breath, and it sounded like her lungs were completely submerged in the cold sea water, so that her throat was filled with bursting bubbles.
"Gade always liked to draft letters, and he also liked to keep scraps of paper to roll tobacco. His handwriting was so sloppy and crooked that sometimes even I couldn't make it out..." The woman's trembling fingers gently stroked the manuscript paper, which seemed to still retain the warmth of her husband's body. "I only understood this one sentence."
"—For the past decade, the Glorious Church has been colluding with the Boreck County authorities, continuously obtaining mineral resources through illegal means. Recently, they attempted to claim 30% of the coal concentrate at the Silver Flower Mine."
Everyone was in an uproar. The head of the "Shelter" company immediately stepped forward and demanded, "Mrs. Mavro, this isn't something you can just make up. You really need to understand this. The coal concentrate belongs to the royal family, and our company has only obtained 30% of the mining rights!"
Officials in Black County who knew about the situation couldn't help but look flustered and suspicious. The Cardinal had privately negotiated a mere 10%, yet now it had tripled. Perhaps the woman was lying—or perhaps the Radiant Church was truly so greedy.
The workers were also whispering to each other. Everyone knew that the authorities would embezzle part of the mining revenue under the pretext of "mining losses", but no one expected that it would be related to the Glorious Church, and so long ago.
"Anyone can take this manuscript and examine it," Raya raised her voice and held up the manuscript. "But I just want to know the truth about Gad's death!"
"No one wrote to invite him out. He wrote a letter to a distinguished figure. Perhaps it was to question him, perhaps to negotiate... I don't know what he was thinking when he kissed his daughter." She looked at the cardinal's face, which was emotionless, with unusual calmness. "But you killed him, Monsignor Miller."
"—You murdered my husband to silence him."
If he didn't defend himself, this damning accusation would soon be pinned on his head. The Cardinal slammed his scepter, his cold voice echoing through the dark mine: "I swear by Zephyr, the god of light and glory, that I have nothing to do with Gad Mavro's death."
He did receive the letter and arrived at Pit 2 as promised, but all he saw was the body of Guy de Mavro. Feeling he was being framed, Miller immediately withdrew, only to stumble upon a small photo stone.
Raya showed a slightly sarcastic expression: "Then do you dare to swear by the Okansele River?"
This statement was already suspected of blasphemy, but at this moment no one cared about the unfortunate woman who had lost her husband. Some people stumbled into the mine, running profusely in sweat.
"Shadow Chaser, Shadow Chaser is coming!" the man shouted tremblingly as he hurried to find his superior. Many people suddenly felt dizzy - how could he be related to Shadow Chaser again?!
The other person said with a sad face: "On the streets, under the cracks of doors, there are 'confessions' everywhere!"
Scattering "confessions" on the street is a common tactic used by shadow chasers.
"What's in the confession?!"
"It's about the coal ore deal between the Glowing Church and the Black County authorities," the visitor stammered. "And that knight went after the Shadow Chaser and headed towards the Church of Light. Many people saw him!"
The Silver Helmet Knight who had ordered the massacre of the workers had not left Black County. The royal family did not want to be openly implicated, so the knight rarely appeared in public—but he had not left either, which was one of the reasons why Black County officials were particularly nervous.
Along the way, people from Blackshire were hiding in windows and peeking in. When they arrived in front of the Church of Light, they saw a man lying under the spear of the Silver Helmet Knight, his blood staining the snow red, and he was already dying.
"'Hunchback'?!" The workers who recognized him exclaimed in surprise - but if this was the "hunchback", then whose was the unrecognizable corpse in the mine?
The silver-helmeted knight on horseback keenly looked over and asked, "Do you know this Shadow Chaser?"
"I'm not Shadow Chaser..." The extremely thin slave trembled, and with every word he uttered, blood bubbles overflowed from his mouth. "I'm just... an ordinary... slave from the Scarlet Bazaar..."
The Silver Helmet Knight shouted, "Quibbling! Then how do you explain why you scattered these 'confessions' on the streets?!"
The other party did not answer, but just laughed softly, and with great effort he tightened his hand slightly towards the spear pointing at his throat, blood flowing out from his palm.
"If you tear apart falsehood, you are a shadow chaser. If you expose ugliness, you are a shadow chaser. If you denounce injustice, you are a shadow chaser... then I am one of them."
He suddenly rushed towards the tip of the spear at an incredible speed, making people wonder how this thin body, hunched like a skeleton, could burst out with such powerful strength. Even the silver-helmeted knight's spear could not help but tremble.
The tip of the spear pierced his throat. Amidst the white snow, the nameless slave let out a final hoarse, broken roar that spurted out gurgling blood.
"——Only the truth will last forever!"
In the silence, the Silver Helmet Knight suddenly retracted his spear, and a body fell silently.
"Sir Miller," he said, shaking the tip of his gun, dropping blood onto the snow. His emotionless eyes turned towards the Cardinal, "I accidentally entered the Church of Light while hunting down the Shadow Chaser. Do you mind?"
The Cardinal looked him straight in the eye and slowly tightened his grip on the scepter. "Of course not. This is your duty."
"Then I will report to Her Majesty the Queen the truthfully discovered things I have discovered."
For example, some documents, some letters, and things scattered on the streets by the Shadow Chaser, or directly interrogating local officials in Black County. Although the Cardinal acted cautiously, there would always be some mistakes in the panic, whether it was his own or others' - and a small mistake would be enough for the angry royal family to seize.
The faces of local officials in Black County paled, and even the reporters were afraid to press the shutter button. No one dared to look at the Cardinal's expression, and the Silver Helmet Knight simply nodded indifferently, kicked his horse's flank, turned, and disappeared into the snow.
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