The last time Merlin Avery met Baron Edelman Brippes was in the banquet hall of the Lord's Palace, and the last time was in a delicate courtyard with flowing water. These two meetings www.biquge.info each left a completely different impression on Avery, one was an excellent leader who was calm and free, and the other was an affectionate man who was worried about his beloved wife and felt guilty of himself.

This time, in the Baron's private parlor, Avery saw a new image.

Baron Edelman Brippes sat behind his desk in full armor with a thorn coat of arms engraved on his chest, a long sword hanging from his waist, a shield and a helmet with eagle wings at his hand. This suit of armor has obviously experienced several fierce battles, and is scarred, especially the sword wound on the chest and the penetrating wound on the side of the neck, and with Avery eyes, of course, it can be seen that the owner of the armor has been wounded twice and almost died.

"I'm so sorry, Iron Master, I should have gone outside the door to greet you. Baron Edelman's tone was very gentle when he spoke, but the hint of tiredness was easy to hear. "But I can't help it, there's so much to deal with right now, I hope you understand. ”

"Of course, I totally understand. Avery replied quickly without thinking, "It's me who should say I'm sorry, Your Excellency Archon, I missed my time today because of some personal affairs, I didn't expect so many patrol soldiers to appear on the streets, could it be that the carnival night tragedy continues to ferment and make the situation worse?"

Baron Edelman raised his hand tiredly and rubbed his eyebrows, "If it weren't for you speaking in person, Master Iron, I wouldn't have said anything, and now is not the time for military secrets to be made public." "The 6th and 8th Squadrons of the Ranger Company recently sent back an urgent message that several of the largest tribes of the desert barbarians were moving and were probably gathering forces to attack Coventry. ”

Avery was silent for a moment, then sighed heartily, "That's a ...... It's a coincidence. Whether it is the mastermind behind the carnival night tragedy or the real murderer of Lady Veronica, it is difficult to find out this time. ”

Baron Edelman showed a clear expression of surprise this time, "I didn't expect you to think of it all at once, Master Iron, your mind is very sharp, unlike those pharmacists who only stay in the laboratory. ”

"My teacher once told me that those who do not have a wide vision will never be able to enter the gate of the temple and will not be able to see the scenery of the peak. Avery put the blame on his fictitious teacher, "Your Excellency, at your age, is it not resonant for you to be one step away from the top?"

Baron Edelman laughed, and the gloom on his face faded a little, "Of course, Master Tie, your teacher is really a wonderful person, and this sentence is on top of the thousands of experiences of others. ”

There was a cacophony of footsteps outside the door, followed by the elegant tone of the Dallas butler, "Sir Lockner, the chief Ranger of the Troop, Lord Ansenbach, the deputy commander-in-chief of the city guard, Lord Chiyovala, and the new Governor of the People, Mr. Hans, are here. Your Excellency, will you receive them now?"

"Let them in, Dallas, and tell the chef to arrange afternoon tea and dinner, today's meeting will probably go on for a long time. Baron Edelman said as he made a gesture for Avery, who had risen to take his leave, to wait.

"Master Iron, if there is nothing urgent to do, I would like you to be my temporary advisor to the meeting that will decide the fate of Coventry and the Thornflower family. ”

Avery was really taken aback, he subconsciously wanted to excuse himself, but when he saw Baron Edelman's tired and bitter expression, he was a little speechless. "Why do you believe me so much, Your Excellency Archon?" he asked reluctantly at last.

"Because I believe that you, and the big man behind you, have no ill will towards the Thorn Flower Family. Baron Edelman sighed, got up and walked to the fireplace, and looked into the blazing fire,

"I love Veronica, and she's special. If Veronica had died in an assassination, a harsh purge would have been in Coventry...... If the army of desert barbarians appeared at this time, and the spies and eyeliners in the city instigated it at the right time, causing a few carnival night tragedies, can you imagine what a terrible scene it would be, Iron Master?"

Avery shook his head, then walked to the side of the desk in the living room and sat down. That was usually the position of the personal adviser to the consuls. The heaviness in Baron Edelman's gaze eased slightly, and he even showed a very inconspicuous smile when he saw the powerful people in Coventry walking into the meeting room.

The Dallas butler and two servants followed the men in, wiping down the tabletops, setting up thirst-quenching wine and mead, and replacing the fireplace with new charcoal. When the servants had done all this, and had left the parlor quickly and silently, Baron Edelman returned to his seat, but instead of sitting down, he propped his hands on the table and fixed his eyes on the new magistrate.

"Mr. Hans, before the meeting begins, I hope you have good news. ”

Hans was still honest and unpretentious, wearing the easy-to-move uniform of a magistrate, but with a full beard trimmed and the insignia of a magistrate on his chest. "Your Excellency, I'm sorry I didn't get much news for you. We've eliminated some useless clues, but the rest of the clues are still very complex and contradictory. I can only make sure that a few of them are correct. ”

"Tell me about it. Baron Edelman said quietly.

"First of all, it's about Mentor Sinhari, the personal doctor, who we confirm has had personal contact with various forces, including the Chamber of Commerce of the Hydra family in the Minnesota city-state, and the Secret Agent Leader from the Imperial Capital. After his disappearance, there is no record of the mentor leaving the city, and there is no contact with the major gangsters and other underground forces in Coventry, and we suspect that he has been killed. ”

"Silence, or cover up some more important clues. Baron Edelman snorted, "Sinhari may be greedy, but he has always been timid and cautious, and the treatment he proposes is only delaying time, and I am afraid that he has not had the courage to poison Veronica." ”

Hans did not speak immediately, but was silent for a while, and then said cautiously, "Although you have made me a magistrate, in my heart I am still only a magistrate. Your Excellency, let me tell me, and I will only describe the clues I have found truthfully, and judge whether they are true or false. Other than that, any speculation and analysis is something I'm not good at. ”

Baron Edelman nodded slightly, his face expressionless, but there was a taste of satisfaction in his eyes. "Go on, Hans, what other clues?"

"The background of the carnival night tragedy is more complicated than imagined, and those ruffians are certainly not the real murderers, they are just fools to be used in. The Wingers of the Minnesota city-state and the Hydra Guardians were all involved in the tragedy, and their goal was supposed to be ......" Hans paused as he said this, and looked at Avery with a somewhat inquiring gaze.

Baron Edelman made an "sorry" gesture to Avery and then said in a commanding tone, "Go on, everyone here has a brain, and there is nothing to hide and shy away from." ”

A hint of bitterness appeared on Hans's face, and he said in a heavy tone, "Their target should be the Iron Master, but due to the intervention of another unknown force, the Iron Master changed course halfway. ”

All eyes converged on Avery, who calmly lowered his glass, crossed his fingers and placed it in front of him. "Oh, so there's something wrong with the person who told the news? I remember his name was Dragon? von Derrick, a guide from the Adventurers' Guild, who is said to be famous. ”

Hans nodded, then shook his head again, "I've checked this person, and I haven't found anything suspicious from beginning to end. This man has been living in Coventry for more than ten years, and belongs to a well-known mercenary group, a peripheral member of the Night Falcon Squad, and he may have learned the relevant information from some informants of the Thornflower Intelligence Network, and the occurrence of the carnival night tragedy was not without warning, but it was only because of the negligence of some people that hundreds of lives were lost in the flames. ”

The tall and resolute face of the city's guard, the deputy commander-in-chief of the city guard, Chiyowala, was furious, and slammed his fist on the table. "What a dereliction of duty, that's a dereliction of duty, the gods are above, according to me, those people all deserve to die!"

"They really deserve to die, and some of them are already dead, and the other part is about to die. Chief Ranger Ansenbach, with his long gloomy face, spoke in a snarky tone, with a smack of untrust. "There is an uneasy smell of unease in the wind blowing from the direction of the desert, and the war will not be too far away from us. ”

Baron Edelman raised his glass thoughtfully and took a sip of the crimson wine in the glass, "Sir Lochner, has there been any news from the reconnaissance force at this point?"

Sir Lockner, the Captain of the Ranger Force, was the oldest of the attendees, and the only remaining powerful patriarch of the Thornflower family. As soon as the meeting began, the elder was so contemplating that Baron Edelman did not immediately react when he asked.

Baron Edelman's eyes flashed with coldness, and he repeated his question in an accentuated tone. Sir Lochner was at last startled, and then put his hand on his forehead and apologized, "I'm sorry, Your Excellency, for I was just a little distracted...... The reconnaissance unit has not yet returned with new information, and I think the incident itself is an unusual circumstance. ”

Baron Edelman nodded quietly, motioning for Sir Lochner to continue.

"I arranged for the sixth and eighth squadrons of rangers to go out of the desert to reconnoiter the movements of the two barbarian tribes of Talma and Hammurabi, and at the same time arranged for the third and fifth squadrons to act as a reception, and the second squadron to provide mobile support, each squadron had to report the situation every three days. As of this morning, the 2nd, 3rd, and 5th squadrons have reported that no movement of the barbarians has been found, but the 6th and 8th squadrons have not heard from them, and have been missed for a day......"

Sir Lockner's words were interrupted by the sound of hurried footsteps, and the door to the conference room was slammed open, and the Dallas butler rushed in with a look of panic, his right arm soaked in blood from his shoulder to his elbow.

"Your Excellency, the Deputy Squadron Leader of the Eighth Squadron of the Ranger has returned from the desert and is seriously wounded, and he claims to have a very important military secret that must be reported to you immediately!"