Chapter 10 A Box Just Big Enough for Your Fingers
"Is this the one?"
"Yes, Knight Commander, it is in here."
Kelsey raised his head and looked at the dark and deep alley in front of him. He smelled the foul odor coming from the alley and frowned.
"Damn it, these bastards just love to run into corners like this," Kelsey cursed, "and they have to make themselves stink. It's so annoying."
"Well, since you don't like it here, why don't you let us in and you stay outside?"
Kelse really wanted to agree. He really didn't want to be contaminated by the stench here.
But when he thought about who had assigned him this task, he shook his head helplessly: "Forget it, this is something the bishop has assigned me, so I have to do it myself."
As he spoke, he took out a big red handkerchief from his pocket and covered his nose with it, then he frowned and reluctantly entered the alley.
There were quite a few people in the alley, but most of them were sitting on the ground against the wall.
They were pale and thin, obviously in a state of extreme hunger. When they heard footsteps, some of those who still had strength would look up, with a glimmer of hope in their eyes, while those who had no strength could not even raise their heads and fell to the ground, not knowing whether they were alive or dead.
"What a sin." Kelse's eyes were filled with more disgust, but he still resisted the urge to vent his anger. He walked up to a guy who could still look up at him, squatted down, and said in a cold voice, "I am the Third Knight Commander of the Rhine, and I am acting in accordance with the will of my Lord. You must... can you hear me, damn it?"
Seeing that this guy was really half dead, Kelsey asked his subordinates to bring a piece of bread and wave it in front of him.
The man's eyes instantly came alive.
"Answer my question and I'll give you the bread." Kelsey said coldly, "Do you understand?"
The man nodded repeatedly.
"Have you met a black marketeer here?"
"Black market... businessman?"
"Yes, a black marketeer named Yongsuo." Kelsey said, "You should know what a black marketeer is, right? They are the guys who specialize in selling contraband. They are wrapped in black robes and are easy to identify."
The man tried hard to recall, then shook his head.
Kelsey made a "tsk" sound, and then gestured with his fingers: "Have you ever seen a box about this long? There are some spells engraved on it... Well, since you don't know what a spell is, just tell me if you have ever seen a box this long?"
The man continued to recall, then shook his head again: "No."
Kelsey felt his patience was almost at its limit.
"Then one last question." Kelsey slowly leaned over, put his mouth close to the man's ear, and whispered, "Did you see a finger?"
"Hands, fingers?"
"Yes, a broken finger, either the middle finger of the left hand or the thumb of the right hand." Kelsey said, "I have described it in detail enough, don't ask me to repeat it again... Then tell me, have you ever seen two fingers like this? Think about it carefully before you speak."
The man tried hard to recall.
But he still shook his head under Kelsey's gaze: "No, no."
Then, he immediately looked at the bread in Kelsey's hand and said in a pleading tone: "Sir, Sir Knight, I have answered your question. This bread, bread, uh..."
His eyes widened and he couldn't finish his words.
Because Kelce had snapped his neck.
He died without even being able to utter a cry, nor did he attract anyone's attention.
Kelsey stood up slowly, disgust in his eyes.
"You can't answer anything and you still want food." He shook his head and walked to the next person, "Answer me this question and I will give you this piece of bread. Have you seen a black market merchant named Yongsuo recently?"
I asked several people in a row, but they all had never seen any black market merchants, and didn't know what the box and the severed finger were.
Just when Kelsey's patience was about to run out, someone finally nodded after hesitating: "I don't know his name, but there is indeed someone selling very strange things. He may be the black market merchant you mentioned."
Kelsey perked up immediately: "Oh? Then where did he go?"
"I don't know." The man shook his head and said with a wry smile, "He stayed here for two days and wanted to sell something to us, but where do we get the money now? And he wasn't selling food, so no one paid attention to him. Only... one person bought his stuff?"
Kelsey immediately asked, "Who?"
"I don't know who he is..." Seeing Kelsey's anger rising, the man immediately added, "But he is different from us. He is dressed very cleanly."
"Very clean?" Kelsey didn't understand what this meant at first, but when he saw the victims huddled in the alley, he suddenly understood.
That was a man who was not affected by the famine.
In other words, the financial ability is good.
There is a famine right now, and this is the worst-hit area. There are obviously not many people who are completely unaffected and even come to black market merchants to purchase things.
Kelsey made a judgment in his mind, and then he asked, "So what did he buy?"
The man was a little uncertain: "Probably... a box."
Kelsey's eyes narrowed immediately. "A box? What kind of box?"
"I... don't know how to describe it." The man was a little confused, "And I was quite far away, so I couldn't see clearly."
"Just tell me," Kelsey said calmly, "Is it a box that can just fit a finger?"
The man blinked and murmured as if suddenly realizing something.
"Yes, it is indeed a box that is just big enough to fit a finger."
After a while, Kelsey came out of the alley, wiping the blood off his hands with a handkerchief.
The subordinate immediately followed: "Knight Commander."
"That black market merchant named Yongsuo," Kelsey instructed his men, "should no longer be here. He should have gone to the next town. But don't let him go. Keep looking for him. Make sure you find him and find out what he sold."
"yes!"
"As for the guy who bought the stuff, our priority now is to find him. A guy who is financially well off, at least he doesn't have to worry about food and clothing. Finding him, of course, is the most important thing, and we still have to find the box."
"Yes!" The subordinate asked hesitantly, "Knight Commander, what is in that box that would make the Bishop willing to send our entire team out to search for it?"
"Heh, it's just the last remnant of a long-dead soul." Kelsey finally wiped the blood off his hand and threw the blood-stained handkerchief aside. He then looked back at the alley and said calmly, "Don't let anyone know what we are looking for. Do you understand?"
The men nodded.
As Kelsey left, the two knights raised their swords and returned to the alley.
(End of this chapter)
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