In the commercial district, in Yade Town in the north.
On the plateau outside the town, a noble-style ancient castle stood tall. From time to time, armored knights and retainers patrolled outside the castle's manor. On the armor of these knights and retainers, there was an engraved javelin emblem, which represented the surname of a family – Lane.
The residents living in Yade Town all knew that although the Lane family, which managed the tax revenue of Yade Town, now lived in a remote corner, it had once been glorious and was one of the top noble families in the commercial district. However, it offended an evil alchemist and was destroyed. Its vast fiefdom and magnificent manor had all turned into a desolate wasteland by the sea. Since then, the family had declined. Now, all the territory of the entire family was just this one remote town.
The total tax revenue each year was even less than the salary of the knight commander of a great noble family.
As the old clan leader grew older, his temper became more and more irritable. The annual increase in taxes also made the residents of Yade Town suffer a great deal.
At this moment, a black carriage slowly drove into this town.
The carriage door opened, and four figures got out. In the lead was a thin but tall teenager, holding a bunch of extremely fragrant roses in his hand. Although his clothes were simple and ordinary, his back was straight, and his stance was like that of a gentleman.
Dudian looked around, found an inn and rented a room. After closing the door, he said to Barton and the others, "You guys stay in this town for now. This town is the territory of the Lane family. Your task is to help me find out all the information about the Lane family, including their finances, population, and the number of knights and retainers. In addition, also get the information about the children of the Lane clan leader, including their hobbies, specialties, and so on."
Barton and the other two were stunned. Kroen asked, "Dian, what are you going to do?"
"You'll know in a few days," Dudian said solemnly to them. "Try your best to find out as much as you can. Most importantly, don't expose your identities, and don't do anything too eye-catching."
The three of them nodded.
Barton asked, "Dian, then where are you going?"
"To visit another guest," Dudian grabbed the two steel nails tightly wrapped in cloth from Joseph's hand.
Joseph's face changed slightly, and he said, "Are you going to take revenge on the person who framed you?"
"This isn't revenge," Dudian smiled slightly. "Giving back what was taken is a virtue."
"These five gold coins are the resources for your task," Dudian took out five gold coins from the pile of gold coins and handed them to the three of them. "When necessary, don't be stingy. Also, don't act in a hurry. First, get familiar with the living conditions of this town, and then start working. Remember, when you encounter trouble, think more!"
The three of them took the gold coins, feeling a bit uneasy and nervous.
Dudian comforted them a few words and then left the small inn. Although it was difficult and risky for Barton and the other two with their knowledge to complete such a task, a good sharp knife needed to be honed to be forged.
...
...
In the Thistle Flower Prison, in the inner fortress.
In the brightly decorated and luxurious office, Warden Jones held the message sent by the Black Raven in his hand. A smile gradually appeared on his face. He said to a young man in black armor sitting across the tea table in front of him, "This little mouse has shown his tail. He's in the slum district."
The young man in black armor had a sword scar on his face, but it didn't affect his handsomeness at all. He smiled faintly upon hearing this and said, "It rained continuously a few days ago, which covered up his scent and made us lose his trail. Now that his tail has been revealed, he can't have run far. Didn't Frank and the others bring him back directly?"
Jones shook his head slightly and said, "This kid is smart. He probably got the news in advance and ran away from the appointed place. Frank and the others didn't find him. However, they caught one of this kid's former companions and are still interrogating him. In my opinion, he probably won't confess any information. It's not that easy to catch this kid who was able to escape from here."
The young man in black armor smiled faintly and said, "No matter how cautious he is, his tail has still been revealed. As long as we know he's in the slum district, he definitely can't escape. Even if we have to dig three feet into the ground, we can pull him out!"
"I trust your sense of smell," Jones said with a smile.
The young man in black armor picked up the caffeinated tea in front of him and drank it all in one gulp. He stood up and said, "I'm going now." After saying that, he turned and left without looking back.
Butler Peter watched the black figure disappear outside the door, and then withdrew his gaze,and said to Jones, "This kid is a junior hunter of the Mellon Consortium and has a rare 'Fear-Infected' demonic mark. In terms of scent tracking, he is no less capable than those with the 'Predator' demonic mark. He should know the way of anti-tracking. Can he alone find the other party in the vast slum district?"
The corner of Jones's mouth curved into a smile and he said, "Don't underestimate the hunting ability of this vicious dog."
Butler Peter was slightly taken aback, nodded, and fell silent.
...
...
In the Tribunal in Tuer Street of the commercial district.
This was one of the branch offices of the Tribunal in the commercial district, handling legal cases from more than a dozen nearby towns and commercial blocks. At this moment, the sky was getting darker, and a heavy rain was approaching. On the middle floor of an office building in the Tribunal, several official priest finished reviewing the cases in their hands, went to a separate office in another part of the building, knocked on the door, entered the office, and respectfully handed the sorted cases to the figure sitting in front of the desk.
"Teacher, this is the case of alcoholism in Boer Town."
"This is the case of rape in Mick Town."
The several of them handed out the cases one after another.
The figure sitting behind the desk was tall and imposing, wearing a dark red robe inlaid with golden silk, exuding an air of nobility and solemnity. He was lowering his head to deal with the case in his hand. Upon hearing the words of his students, he nodded and said, "Put them down and go."
The several students successively placed the cases on a stack of cases beside the desk. Before leaving, one of the young female priest said, "Teacher, it's going to rain soon outside. You should go back and rest early too."
Upon hearing this, the imposing figure was slightly taken aback. He looked up at the window. The gloomy thunder rumbled, seemingly indicating that a heavy rain was about to come.
He frowned slightly and nodded, saying, "I see. You go first."
The young female priest glanced at him, said nothing more, and turned to leave.
After they left, this person finished writing the summary of the case that he had been dealing with halfway, then put the quill pen back on the pen holder, stood up, put the other cases into the drawer, went to the door, put on his Tribunal official's hat, picked up the oilcloth umbrella, and left the Tribunal.
"Good day, Deacon Huo."
"Greetings, Deacon Huo."
Along the way, the trainee priest or Tribunal knights who were still busy in the Tribunal would bow their heads respectfully when they saw the middle-aged man.
The middle-aged man was already used to it. With a calm expression, he walked out of the main gate of the Tribunal. At this time, raindrops had already fallen and stained his clothes. He looked up, frowned slightly, opened the oilcloth umbrella in his hand, and went down the steps.
In an instant, the rain started to pour down heavily.