Three days later, when Huggins reappeared in front of Todd, the somewhat blessed middle-aged man seemed to be ready to come to his senses.

Todd shook a stack of papers in his hand and said to Huggins, "Sit down, I have some questions for you." ”

Huggins sat on the couch and let out a long breath.

"According to this report, you happened to be in the city a month before the Battle of Taylor?"

"Yes, Your Majesty, I went to Taylor City to attend a friend's wedding. ”

"Rousseau Clariant?"

"That's right, that's my friend's name. ”

Todd looked at the report, "It says that you left the city before the Battle of Taylor began. ”

"Yes. ”

"At that time, Taylor was locked down, no one was allowed to enter or leave, and there was a war going on on every road out of the city, how did you get out of the city?"

Huggins adjusted his sitting position: "I spent all the money I had at the time to buy off a goalkeeper. In the middle of the night, he changed into a clergyman's coat and escaped from the city. ”

"Out of the city, I didn't choose to go west, but first east, around the peninsula, and then from the coast, back to the Silver Ring. ”

Todd looked at Huggins: "The timing is good. ”

Huggins was silent.

"Before the Twilight Expeditionary Force attacked Taylor, there were many rumors in the city that the expeditionary force was made up of monsters and would be slaughtered once the city was breached. Todd said slowly, "Others may believe these rumors, but you probably won't. ”

"Yes, Your Majesty, I know the character of Lord Cumberland, and I know the character of the Order, and they would never do that. ”

Todd put the report on the table: "That's weird, at that time, you knew that it was safer to stay in the city than to flee at the risk, why did you insist on leaving?"

Huggins sighed vigorously: "Your Majesty, it may be too pale to express it in words, I am willing to show you my soul." ”

Todd thought for a moment and waved his hand to open the soul space.

Returning to the research institute conference hall in the soul space again, Huggins stroked the cushion of the leather office chair with his hand and took a deep breath: "It's been a long time. ”

Taking a beer out of the freezer and tossing it to Huggins, Todd sat down in his chair and said, "Don't stand, sit down." ”

Lifting the lid of the can, listening to the crisp sound coming from the can, and looking at the constant foam of the beer, Huggins said contentedly: "Sometimes, the outside world gives me a sense of unreality. ”

"Tell me, what happened that day?"

Huggins took a sip of his beer and continued, "Just a week before I decided to leave Taylor, I encountered something strange in the city. ”

With that, Huggins pushed his memory onto the holographic projection in the center of his desk.

Taylor City, Shedley Street, a week before the outbreak of the Black Plague.

"Today's price has gone up again?"

Huggins looked at the price sign outside the bakery, and said helplessly: "It has increased tenfold in half a month." ”

The shopkeeper also looked bitter: "Every road into the city is blocked, and the grain can't be transported in, and if this continues, I will even run out of wheat flour." ”

Huggins sighed, picked out a few smaller pieces of gray wheat bread, and paid to pack them away.

Shadley Street, once a bustling and lively street in the aristocratic district of Taylor City, is now sparsely populated and full of debris.

As far as the eye can see, only two or three shops along the street are open, and most of the others are closed.

Huggins walked down the street, frowning at the sound of footsteps in the distance.

A group of gray-robed catechumens pushed a prisoner cart in the direction of the main square.

In the prison van sat a woman who had long been despairing, covered in blood, and muttering muttering.

The black-clothed priest at the head of the procession, holding a cross in one hand, said loudly: "The power of the Father cleanses away all the sins of the world, and the cult believers, the demons, the unstrong-minded, and the slanderers of the church will eventually be punished by fire!"

Seeing the priest's gaze, Huggins slowly took off his hat and lowered his head through gritted teeth.

The priest only glanced at him, then lost interest and continued down the street.

Huggins glanced at the group and whispered, "The Nightclub is gone." ”

Walking through the streets, Huggins came to a low house and knocked on the door.

It was an old woman who saw Huggins, smiled and opened the door, and hurriedly urged the latter to come in.

Huggins went into the house, handed the old woman the gray wheat bread in his hand, and walked straight to the back room.

The innermost room was a bedroom, fifteen square meters square, with no furniture but a bed.

Huggins walked to the bed, looked at the young man lying on the bed, and whispered, "Rousseau." ”

The young man's breath was weak, his lips were pale, one leg was firmly held in place by a splint, and the clothes on his body could faintly see the blood stains after rinsing.

Young man wants to sit up: "Master Huggins......"

Huggins stretched out his hand to stop the other party's movements: "Don't waste your strength, I have already handed over the rations for the past few days to your mother." ”

The young man looked grateful and nodded heavily: "My lord, if I hadn't invited you to my wedding, you wouldn't have been in danger. ”

"It's not your fault. ”

Rousseau's face was ashamed: "In fact, if it weren't for our gang who dragged you back in the incident in Twilight City, you would still be a close confidant of the Holy King by now." ”

Speaking of this, a moment of pain flashed across Huggins' face.

"The past is over, I have betrayed the trust of the Holy King, and it is a great favor that he did not punish me, and it has nothing to do with you. ”

"Adult ......"

Huggins waved his hand: "Don't mention the unhappy things, let me ask you, what are you going to do in the future?"

"From now on?"

"Yes, the city of Taylor will definitely be breached, and it's time to plan for the future. ”

"There are still tens of thousands of defenders in the city......"

Huggins accentuated his tone: "Taylor City will definitely not be able to hold ......"

Rousseau patted his leg in frustration: "On the day I got married, those bastards of the church said that since I migrated from Twilight City, then I must be a collaborator spy. They tortured me, tortured me, threw me into prison to die, if not for you to save me...... Now that I can't walk on the ground anymore, what else can I do in the future?"

Huggins touched Rousseau's head: "Life always goes on, think of your mother, she still counts on you to take care of her in the future." ”

Rousseau raised his head: "But I can't do anything." ”

"I've already made a living for you - to open a hotel, I opened one in Silver Ring City, the business is not bad, I have some experience, but the key problem is - the location. Huggins pointed outside, "In the middlemai neighborhood of the old aristocracy, there is a mansion that originally belonged to Count Zikel, do you have any impressions?"

Rousseau was a little confused: "Count Zicker?"

Huggins explained: "Count Zikel was arrested by the Inquisition because he was reported to be involved in Protestant worship, and the entire family, from the patriarch in his seventies to the infant baby, totaled more than 190 people. After these men entered the prison of the Inquisition, they never came out, and his mansion was empty. ”

Huggins paused for a moment, then added, "Now, that house has a new name, and it's called the Sixth Temporary Morgue of the Parish. ”