After seriously criticizing this, the girl added, "I am surprised that Mr. Boris is not a member of the Necromancer Party."
The secret information mentioned that the county governor’s position was “uncertain”, but as usual, the police station and the hospital were all controlled by the Undead Party. How could this be possible without the county governor’s acquiescence?
So she didn't think that this "uncertainty" would have any good results, and was very surprised when she saw the letter.
"Who told you he wasn't?"
Butler Reese's answer made people frown.
The butler was seen concentrating on driving while whispering: "If you don't join the party, you won't be able to keep your position, even if it's just a nominal membership..."
"But there are always some people who remember that the sky shouldn't be black."
“I’m honored that I follow people like this.”
Chapter 26: The Forgotten Zone
The county palace of Metz is built in a very grand manner.
It was very grand - it was a huge manor, and the green jungle surrounding the manor alone was the size of a village, almost comparable to Bruce Wayne's mansion.
The security here is also very strict. To drive from the manor gate to the downstairs of the mansion, you need to pass through three checkpoints. There are soldiers with rifles on duty at each checkpoint. They will not let them pass until they confirm again and again that it is Reese.
In the living room, the three finally met Niang-Polis.
This is also an old man, about 175cm tall, with half-long curly hair that doesn't reach his shoulders. He wears straight black trousers and a white shirt, with his collar open and nothing tied around it. Judging from his appearance, he must have been very handsome when he was young.
Hitzfeld noticed that his standing posture was rather peculiar, with his left hand in his trouser pocket and his right hand half raised at his waist.
"Welcome." Boris looked relieved. "Thank God nothing happened on your way... Actually, I knew you were coming last night, but I didn't expect them to be so cautious."
"So rude." Hitzfeld nodded and bowed as a greeting.
Normally, a young woman like her should extend her hand and kiss the other person. Of course, if they are not familiar with each other, this is not necessary, but at least they should shake hands to exchange trust.
But Xia Yibing didn't like her doing this, even though she wore black silk gloves most of the time and didn't have direct physical contact with others.
Hitzfeld found the woman's attitude very interesting. She was not pretentious and was very satisfied with being treated like a treasure.
But she still had to observe etiquette, and to compensate for it, she bent at a wider angle than usual.
"No need to do this -" Boris immediately stopped these people, "You are too polite... There is really no need to do this. The fact that you are willing to come with Reese means that I have found the right person. You should know that I actually have something to ask of you..."
"By the way, have you had lunch? I have asked someone to prepare a sumptuous meal, and we can talk while we eat."
The three of them had already had lunch, but they knew that the tasteless boiled chicken breast was far from being comparable to the dishes in the county governor's mansion. In addition, the shock they had just experienced also consumed a lot of energy, so they did not intend to refuse the county governor's kindness.
Boris lived up to Reese's praise for him. He knew that they were new here and must have many concerns in their hearts. He would eat each dish himself first, using this method to prove that he had not put any drugs in it.
He was also very talkative. Once the topic was opened, he could talk about everything from the ancient history of Sara to the history of diplomatic relations between the two countries. He claimed that he had always suspected that the County of Metz was the territory of Seran two hundred years ago, and that was why most of the Fire Dragon Alliance spoke Saran.
"Sir." Hitzfeld felt that it was almost time to end this useless topic. She swallowed the last bite of food and spoke in a break, "I want to know exactly what your relationship with Baron Copperfield is?"
She had not forgotten that Eugenie held a local barony.
"A close friend." Boris answered affirmatively, "This friendship did not start with him, but from the relationship between me and his father. We started to know each other when the Copperfield family moved here from Sara. At the beginning, I helped them with some small things... I was still very young at that time, and old Copperfield gave me a generous salary. With this salary and my own hard work, I was finally able to get to this position."
"May I ask how many people know about this?"
"Only Reese knows besides me."
"Then you're just going to tell us?"
"You can understand that code, which means you are different from others. This shows that Eugenie regards you as friends, and his friends are my friends."
"You knew that Baron Cauperfield was in Metz some time ago?"
"I am very sure!"
"why?"
"Because... because this is what I want to ask of you, Miss Hitzfeld." Boris narrowed his eyes slightly and said word by word, "I suspect they have been found, and may even have been arrested."
"What..." This news was like a bolt from the blue, shocking Sixus a little.
Xia Yibing was fine, after all, she had already considered this possibility. There was almost no expression on her face.
Hitzfeld was similar. She frowned slightly and said, "I want to know the basis for your judgment."
Having said that, we have basically entered the critical stage of the demands of both parties.
Their core purpose is to investigate the descendants of the Dragon God and his treasure. To do this, they must first find the Copperfields and save them from the pursuit of the Undead Party and the Three Dragon Guards.
As for Boris, it seems that his purpose is the same as theirs.
At least in the early stages it was the same, everyone hoped to find Eugenie and the others, but now the purpose may have changed to "how to rescue them from the Undead Party."
But as to how he made his judgment... he began to hesitate, as if he was unsure whether to trust them completely.
This is a normal concern, and Hitzfeld chose to solve the problem in the most intuitive way.
"Goli's tobacco is good stuff, but try not to smoke too much," she said.
"Especially for the classic pipes, because of the problems in the early manufacturing process, the filter tip will cause metal poisoning after long-term use."
"!?"
The curly-haired man opened his mouth slightly, unable to believe that his old habit, which he had given up for half a year, would be noticed.
"Please tell me, Detective...how did you figure that out?"
"The way you stand."
At the girl's signal, Xia Yibing answered the question aloud.
"That's not a normal standing posture. From the way you hold your hands habitually, I can tell that you smoke, and you must be using a pipe."
"But what about 'Goliath's tobacco'?" Boris still didn't understand. "This at most reveals that I'm used to using a pipe. How did I calculate the rest?"
"I think it may be the distance between your right hand and your body." Xia Yibing glanced at Hitzfeld and reasoned according to her own ideas.
"Normally, the standard position for celebrities to hold their pipes is below the chest and above the waist."
"And you, Mr. Boris, hold your hand a little above the waist and farther away, which means that the pipe you usually use must be longer."
"That's right!" Boris aimed his surprise at her this time. "It's true! Oh my God!"
"As for why we need a longer pipe, it's because Goli's tobacco is 'spicier' and needs a longer pipe to bring out the mellow aroma. And it's true that in many places it's popular to use Goli's native long pipe to smoke this kind of tobacco... That's about it."
"You are all excellent detectives!"
Boris had to respect them.
He saw clearly that since Hitzfeld made his guess, she had not had any communication with the tall woman next to her.
This means that this woman named Xia Esther also noticed these details, so she is certainly very capable. This is definitely not a skill that an ordinary detective can have!
This made him feel relieved. He apologized for his previous hesitation: "I'm sorry that I hesitated, because I wasn't ready to drag you into this..."
Xia Yibing's eyelids twitched, realizing that Boris had also misunderstood their purpose.
He, like the other Necromancers, thought they were coming for Milanka.
"And this matter is very strange... How should I put it——"
He rubbed his hands together, interlacing his fingers to express his nervousness.
"That was about two weeks ago... Two weeks ago, I received a report from Reese. He told me that those people suddenly blocked the jungle in the west of Metz - from the jungle to the city, a large area was blocked, and no one was allowed in or out. It lasted for three days before the blockade was lifted."
"You think they caught anyone in these three days?"
"I would definitely think so, because I have some relationship with them and I know some information."
Boris nodded.
"What's so weird about that?" Sixus interrupted.
"Weird. Afterwards, I sent someone to investigate, wanting to see what they did during those three days, but—"
He paused here, fear evident on his face.
“But the residents there said there was no lockdown.”
"They are totally unaware of it... They don't remember... It's like they've completely forgotten what happened in the past three days."
Chapter 27: Night at the County Magistrate's Mansion
The conversation with Boris was very pleasant. County Magistrate Metz was very considerate and knew what questions to ask and what questions would ruin the atmosphere. Therefore, the meeting lasted for four hours. At the end, Hitzfeld took the opportunity to make a request, hoping that Boris could send someone to deliver a letter to the local Thorn Birds Merchant Alliance.
It had only been half a day since Russell left the hotel, but they had already gone in different directions, so she had to at least tell him her current location.
This was a piece of cake for Boris, and he quickly agreed. Then, as they stood up, hesitantly said, "Then... uh, I think you will stay here tonight, but there are some precautions that I need to make clear in advance."
The three of them paused and turned back to stare at the county magistrate.
"That is, I might be..." Boris rubbed his fingers. He was used to using this method to relieve embarrassment. "I might have a little bit of, um, sleepwalking symptoms, so if you hear any noise at night..."
"We understand." Hitzfeld promised first, "We are guests. We will not and should not do anything beyond the limit."
Boris gave her a grateful look and nodded: "Then I will send someone to wait outside immediately. Reese will take you upstairs to choose a room. Just call him after you finish writing the letter."
Led by Reese to the third floor, the three of them finally chose only one room.
"It's not that we don't trust Mr. Boris." Hitzfeld turned around and explained to Butler Reese, "It's just that as detectives, especially those who are unscrupulous... we have developed the habit of sticking together at all times."
"I understand." Butler Reese held a candle, and the light illuminated the dim room. "After all, you all look very... You have to be careful when you go out."
Xia Yibing was looking around the room with a frown on her face. She always felt that this mansion was a little strange.
She didn't feel anything at first, but the top always gave her a sense of decay and oldness, as if no one had been to many places for some time.
But think about it, Boris didn't seem to say that he had a wife and family, so it's normal that no one lives up there...
Well, didn't they hint at it after all? They hinted that Boris only joined the Deathly Hallows on the surface, but in fact he didn't get along with them. From this point of view, he should be a county governor who was sidelined. Apart from holding an armed force of perhaps one or two hundred people for self-protection, he didn't have to manage the governance of Metz County.
So naturally he had no status in the hearts of the Dead Souls, at best he was just a mascot. As a result, no one would come to visit him, so these guest rooms had to remain empty.
"Everyone, get acquainted first." Butler Reese put the candlestick on the table, bowed and stepped back, "I'm outside, just call me if you need anything."
Xia Yibing watched his actions the whole time. When he put the candlestick down, her eyelids twitched and she noticed that his little finger was actually raised.
"What do you think?" After the door was closed, the woman faced her two companions, occasionally glancing at the burning candle out of the corner of her eye.
"Put it in place first and rest for a while." Hitzfeld took the box from her hand and found that she was clenching her handles very tightly. He couldn't help but look at her strangely.
But she still managed to break them apart. She placed the two large boxes side by side in the corner, returned to the table, lit a candle, and began to light the candlesticks in the room.
Soon, the whole room was filled with warm light. The girl walked to the window sill, grabbed the curtain and pulled it hard, then took three steps back, frowning as she saw countless flying dust in the air.
And it was dark outside the window.
It's very dark... It's not even five o'clock yet, but it's as dark as half past seven.
Especially the dark clouds above our heads, which are very oppressive. If this kind of weather lasts for a long time, it will make people breathless.
"This place hasn't been taken care of for at least half a year." Xia Yibing narrowed her eyes. "It's very strange... isn't it? They have no shortage of manpower, but they haven't taken care of the guest rooms for half a year."
"Because there is no need for it." Sixus looked at her with an even stranger look, "She is just a marginal figure. She is lucky to be alive. I have seen too many people like her... I can only say that sometimes it is a good thing to have no ambition."
She began to give the two of them a long speech, telling them how many fallen nobles she had seen in Sarah before, and how they were unwilling to change their fate, but most of them failed and ended up losing their lives.
"Really, in this world outside of Sarah, being able to live and having enough food and clothing is already a good thing."
At the end, she did not forget to summarize all the topics: "Do you believe that if he really sends people to clean this place diligently, it won't take a few days for the Death Spirit Party to replace the county governor?"
It sounds like Boris did this on purpose, in order to show the Necromancers that he has no ambitions in this regard.
Hitzfeld narrowed his eyes slightly after listening to her analysis.
It makes sense, but if that's the case, then Boris actually broke this convention today in order to "rescue" them?
Just by picking someone up, Pariser had already offended Mackay Dougli, the man with the fierce eyes like a giant bear. Now he even gave the guest room to the three of them... Was he planning to completely break off relations with the Death Party?
Oh... we can't ignore his relationship with Eugenie. He said they were close friends, and the incident in the Oblivion Zone a while ago made him suspect that Eugenie had been arrested and was probably being held somewhere and tortured...
If Hitzfeld were in this position, if her friend was captured by criminals and disappeared without a trace, and she couldn't find him, she would definitely be very angry and would naturally not care about the rules she usually followed.
She felt that this was the state that Boris should be in.
Today is Friday, and Hitzfeld's mood quickly waned. She walked to the bed and touched the quilt, glad that they remembered to cover the entire bed with a dust cover.
After the dust cover was removed, the quilts were clean. She first pulled herself together, dictated a letter to Xia Yibing and gave it to Reese, and then politely asked if there was hot water in the bathroom connected to the room.
"There's hot water." Reese knew all about it. "In the second drawer from the bottom of the corner cabinet - there are new towels and new soap."
