I was an apprentice in Ferren

Chapter 88 External Tactics
When the steel handcuffs were placed on the old woman's hands, everyone present, including her family and neighbors, was stunned and momentarily forgot what to say.

"Given your malicious extortion and disruption of social order, I am now arresting you and initiating legal proceedings. I hope you will cooperate and refrain from causing further harm to your sentence." Deva's expression was stern. "Please, ma'am."

"What are you doing!" Seeing his mother about to be taken away, the eldest son of the family suddenly became furious: "What do you mean by extortion? Sheriff, explain yourself clearly. Why are you going to put my mother in jail?"

“I have written down the details. There were many eyewitnesses at the time, and I don’t want to argue with you about it. If you want me to confirm, I can use divine magic to interrogate this lady on the spot, but that might be very unseemly. Is that what you want?”

The eldest son was struck dumb by these words, and the second son, who was standing next to him, also panicked.

He knew better than anyone how this morning's plot was planned, but the sheriff assured him it wouldn't have any impact, so why were they still arresting people?

Thinking of this, the educated second son immediately knelt down and cried out, "Sheriff, my mother is over 50 years old and sometimes she is inevitably confused. Sometimes she may do some foolish things, but she is not a bad person at heart. She may just be old and confused and make mistakes. How can you arrest such an old woman and lock her in jail? She is not in good health, how can she endure this suffering!"

Upon seeing their father cry, the children nearby also started wailing. Many neighbors who were at home came over to watch this unprecedented spectacle, pointing and whispering.

"Who is this woman? Why is she taking the old lady of the Siling family away?"

"Sir, what could he have done to deserve being arrested by the guards at such an old age? Did he gossip about someone again and get sued?"

"How could talking about other people's faults get you arrested? Besides, didn't you already behave yourself after being slapped twice by that Stone guy last time? Do you have such a bad memory?"

"It's also possible that she went to steal iron from someone else's house again. Last time, this old lady acted like a scoundrel and got her house splattered with feces. This time, she's attracted the police again. She really doesn't know how to be virtuous."

Deva frowned upon hearing these gossips. It seemed this guy didn't have a good reputation. However, since it wasn't related to this matter, she didn't want to get involved: "Because this lady is older, we will provide her with better conditions, and you can visit her in the detention center at any time."

However, please refrain from interfering with the judicial process, as this could have other negative consequences. If you are concerned about the veracity of the case, I can have a pastor come over; your cooperation is appreciated.

Upon hearing that a pastor was to be invited, everyone immediately understood and thought that the old woman must have committed a crime.

Compared to paladins, who are few in number and may only be seen a few times a year, priests are much more common. They can not only heal wounds and diseases but also detect lies. Once their divine magic is activated, they are considered to have complete credibility, and no one dares to say anything.

However, priests are usually only called in for serious matters, since these arrogant fellows dare to give even a mage a hard time.
Upon hearing this, Si Ling glanced at his brother, only to see that he looked dejected and didn't know what to say, clearly having given up on the argument.

Compared to his honest and kind-hearted older brother, Si Ling, feeling guilty, naturally didn't dare to step forward rashly. He simply agreed and told his wife to send clothes and bedding to their mother. Then, he whispered to his older brother, "I'll go find my cousin. Her husband is also a sheriff; he'll put in a good word for us." Upon hearing this, the older brother immediately understood. His brother-in-law, Richard, was also a renowned sheriff. Although the relationship was somewhat distant, this matter originated from him, so settling things shouldn't be a problem.

"Get in the car." Deva looked at the old woman crying and playing the victim, feeling both sympathy and disgust. After getting in the car and closing the door, she glanced at the woman and said, "Now you can confess who ordered you. If you are willing to talk, your crime can be changed from principal offender to accomplice, and you will receive leniency."

Upon hearing this, the old woman immediately stopped crying, wiped her face, and asked, "Really? Will I be released immediately?"

“If there is a ringleader, your crime will change from extortion to being misled, which can be said to reduce the crime by 90%, and can directly reduce the sentence from more than five years to a few months in prison.”

The old woman shook her head again upon hearing this. She had heard that some people went insane after just a few days in prison, and she didn't want to spend months there: "Is there anything lighter?"

"That depends on your performance." The paladin girl said, suddenly touching the gem hanging around her neck. An incredulous look appeared in her eyes, and she said with a complicated expression, "Of course, if you were not misled but coerced into doing this, then you will become a victim, and your crime will be reduced to a very light level. You can come in, explain the situation to the guards, and then you can be released."

Upon hearing this, the old lady was overjoyed and completely forgot about the man and her son's instructions from that morning: "Don't worry, I'm not senile yet. I'll tell you everything I know!"

Outside the carriage, the driver's expression changed. He raised his whip and lashed out, but it only struck the air. He shouted, "Guards are on duty. Make way!"

As a major military town, the streets of Beer Town are quite wide, a full twenty yards. Even with six golems walking side by side, there's still plenty of room for them to pass. Naturally, no fool would dare to bump into the carriage. However, the young man on horseback who was hanging far behind changed his expression.

This signal indicates that the situation has changed and we should prepare for the worst.

The young man rode quickly down another street and soon arrived at the guard station. However, instead of entering the police station, he went into the hotel across the street. Ignoring the hostess who was flirting with him, he went straight into the last room on the third floor and pushed the door open.

"Uncle, something bad has happened! Richard has given the signal!"

Inside the room, several men in plainclothes were discussing something. The eldest man, wearing a deputy sheriff's badge, frowned and scolded the young man, "What are you rushing about? I told you to use your rank when there are people around. Close the door immediately to prevent the magic array from malfunctioning."

The young man nodded quickly and closed the door. He then went to the sofa and shared the information he had gathered along the way. Hearing this, a man next to him frowned and said with some annoyance, "I told you this was unreliable. Si Ling's mother is a blabbermouth and a coward. She's good at being a rogue, but if she really runs into a tough customer, she'll probably betray me. What should we do now?"

This man was Richard, whom DuPont had seen earlier.

(End of this chapter)