The City of Marronligar

The slave ship incident, which was deliberately hidden in the depths of the case files, can be regarded as the master of the dark side of the association and even Maren Liga.For the sake of profit, some bounty hunters not only trampled on the legal spirit of the city-state, but also ignored the lives and freedoms of innocent citizens, just because they were used as slaves "to cover up their dereliction of duty."

In this incident, not only did the slaves who failed to escape die unexpectedly, but the ideological struggle within the association finally rose to the point of life and death.Some people pointed the sword at their former companions for the sake of profit, while others made the same decision for the sake of justice.

Perhaps, the bounty hunters are the shadow of Maren Liga.In them, I saw the thread of destiny that is both contradictory and compatible.

——Miscellaneous Notes of Silver Bay Tower: Light and Darkness of the Bounty Hunters Association

The coachman's confession and the portrait of the suspect immediately caused an uproar, and the anxious atmosphere that had been pent up in the venue for a long time seemed to find an outlet in an instant.

"This is pure nonsense!"

Adrian stood up abruptly, causing the chair to rub against the ground making a hoarse sound, and everyone's attention was focused on him.

It seemed too late to hint at her nephew's silence, and Sophia only felt a sharp headache.

Adrian turned his cold eyes around the crowd around the round table, and said word by word: "I can prove Master Cormac's innocence. He will never kill Governor Morgis."

General Lucien nodded: "It is very rash to convict Master Cormac based on the coachman's words alone." After being rescued by Louis, he has always respected the bounty hunter.

Chu De also seemed to be speaking for Louis: "Indeed, our honorary president has always been of good conduct. How could he commit such a crime? We need more physical evidence."

But Chu De's seemingly objective and fair speech did not make Adrian feel the slightest gratitude. He has tasted the banter and sarcasm hidden in the words.

——It is absolutely impossible for this person to sincerely defend the master, there must be some conspiracy hidden in it, maybe the current situation is caused by him alone.

Seeing the strong reaction of the young representatives of the Flying Lions Mansion, the security consultant seemed a little embarrassed: "Mr. Adrian Guillette Torresso, you just said that you can prove the innocence of Luis Cormac, so what evidence do you have?" Woolen cloth?"

Adrian didn't care too much, and his first reaction was to deny the possibility of Louis committing the crime: "Master Cormac was in the same room with me after sunset that day, and he didn't have time to kill the Governor, coerce Mrs. Bella to leave, let alone do that. motive. I hope you will take my testimony seriously."

The advisor raised his eyebrows: "The fire in the Governor's Mansion started before midnight. Were you also with the suspect Louis Cormac at that time? Did he really never go to the Governor's Mansion?"

"us--"

Sophia suddenly stopped Adrian: "No, Adrian returned to the Flying Lion Mansion not long after the evening bell rang. As for the whereabouts of Louis himself after that, I suggest you ask the neighbors near his residence, or It's the market and the tavern in the harbor area. I also don't agree with deliberately omitting more crucial evidence because of partial belief in someone's confession, and please enforce the law impartially."

Her quiet voice seemed to cool down the gradually boiling atmosphere in the city hall, but it made Adrian even more anxious.

That night, after being separated from Adrian, Louis had been alone.Among the people present, only Adrian would unreservedly believe that Louis was not the murderer, and would try his best to defend him.

"The honorary chairman of Cormac is only a suspect, and he has not yet reached the step of 'real murderer'. We are stepping up our investigation and will also take the testimony of neighbors into consideration."

Adrian was particularly disgusted by the consultant's wording and attitude.Sophia grabbed his arm and secretly pulled it down twice, and Adrian reluctantly sat back in his original position.

His lips were pale, and he rarely showed strong anxiety in front of Sophia: "Ma'am, I—"

Sophia glanced at him, and said softly in a volume that only the two of them could hear: "Don't tell lies that will be exposed by others."

She is well aware of Adrian's thoughts, but the Feishi Mansion is different from ordinary people, and there are countless pairs of eyes staring at them all the time. If Adrian's perjury is exposed, Torre will be hurt The reputation of the Suo family.

Among the fifteen permanent official seats in the City Hall, the Torresso family only occupied one seat, while businessmen and nobles with interests in the Governor's Mansion took up more than half of the seats.

After the death of Governor Morgis, the common interests of this group still exist, and they continue to control the city hall by taking advantage of the number of seats.Although they maintain superficial harmony with the Torresso family, they may have another set of ideas secretly.

——Not only must forbearance, but also must calmly see the truth hidden under this muddy water.

Under Sophia's hint and intervention, Adrian was forced to choose to stay still and watched Chu De and others discuss the matter of evidence collection and arrest under the assumption that "Louis Cormac killed Governor Morgis".

"Without further delay, I will immediately arrange for the guards to search his residence."

"It is said that Louis Cormac seldom stays at home. Is there any possibility of absconding?"

"No, he didn't know that we had uncovered these crimes."

"Then what about Mrs. Bella, according to the coachman's confession, she has been to the mouth of the Mount River, but if she continues to track..."

"There are so many towns on both sides of the Utrus River and the Grand Canal. She may settle and set off anywhere, and crossing the river is the territory of the Kirov Kingdom. It is not convenient for us to search across the border. In the worst case, I'm afraid I'll never find it."

A lot of things were discussed at the meeting, but Adrian basically didn't listen to it. He only felt that there was a sharp noise in his ears, which was more tormented than the fire on the ship that night.

Before the meeting was over, a team of heavily armed guards had already set off, heading straight for the three-story brick and wood building on the edge of the market.By the time the Marenliga dignitaries in funeral black walked out of the town hall, dusk was gilding the city.

As soon as he left the city hall, Adrian wanted to run to Louis' residence.

But Sophia, anticipating what her nephew might do, grabbed Adrian by the elbow like she was trying to stop him from giving testimony during a meeting.

"Come back to me." Sophia's lowered voice was cold and sharp that was hard to detect on weekdays. "Don't forget how many eyes are watching your every move. It's not like saving people."

She was right.Those "eyes hidden in the dark" are not rhetoric, not alarmist talk, but facts - from the city hall to the Flying Lion Mansion, potential enemies will not stop monitoring Sophia and Adrian, and the two can rely on their observation skills Come to the same conclusion as intuition.

Adrian just took half a step, and immediately froze in place, full of unwillingness and anger, as if he had run aground on the edge of the ice sea.

Sophia looked into Adrian's eyes, and her tone softened slightly: "Let's go back first. This is not a place to express our sincerity."

To put it bluntly, there are not a few pure lands in the entire Marenlica where anyone can expose their weaknesses. Only by building a high cold wall in their hearts can they ensure that they remain "indestructible" in the storm.

She slowly let go of her hand, and Adrian no longer "acted recklessly" on impulse.

"We always have to sacrifice something in order to live with dignity in Marenliga." Sophia said calmly.

Adrian took a deep breath, everything he saw and heard felt like needle pricks: "Is this really the case..."

After knocking on the door several times, there was no answer. Presumably, the owner was not there. The guards and bounty hunters knocked open the door of Louis' house, and the cracked sawdust and stubble fell all over the floor.Everyone broke in, bringing the dust and cold wind from the street into this simple and deserted house.

As soon as they entered the house, the leading bounty hunter assigned the task: "We are in charge of the first floor and the basement, please take a look at the upper two floors."

The governor's secretary, Chu De and General Lucien also came to the door one after another, waiting for the results of the evidence search.

Not long after, a bounty hunter walked out of the room carrying two bundles, and presented two bundles, one large and one small, to Lucien one after another.

Lucien lifted the sackcloth covering the contents with his own hands: "...this is?"

The bounty hunter sent by Chu De to assist the garrison replied respectfully: "The cloth armor worn by the guards of the Governor's Mansion, we found it from the corner of the basement. You see, it is still stained with blood, and the corners of the clothes are also burnt." Got a piece."

The other small package contained several pieces of women's jewelry. The gold and silver bases were inlaid with gemstones of various colors, the colors were gorgeous, and the lines were elegant and dignified.

The governor's secretary took half a step back and exclaimed in a low voice: "Ah, isn't this what Mrs. Bella often wears—"

Lucien turned his head in shock, and there was a trace of wavering hidden in his unbelievable eyes.He pressed the secretary: "Are you sure this is something from the Governor's Mansion?"

The secretary nodded and said: "I have worked for the governor for many years and often live in the mansion, so I naturally recognize these."

Chu De sighed: "Although I don't want to believe this is true, but the evidence is solid... Well, maybe the honorary president of Cormac has some difficulties."

"He was the murderer of Governor Morges! This is not something that can be explained away with 'difficulties'. Now Louis Cormac is a heinous murderer." The secretary said excitedly.

The doubts in Lucien's heart have not yet dissipated: "These jewelry are too conspicuous to be sold in the city. It can be explained by hiding them at home temporarily. But why didn't he dispose of this camouflage uniform?"

The bounty hunter who presented the evidence couldn't answer for a while: "This..."

Chu De immediately changed the topic: "Where is Louis himself?"

The bounty hunter immediately came back to his senses: "Oh, the guard brothers have already looked for him. I heard that he is often active in the harbor area."

"keep the change."

When Louis' voice sounded, all the trivial discussions and debates came to an abrupt end.

The "true murderer" who killed Governor Morgis stood at the intersection of the street so openly.Under the shadow of the building, his expressionless face looked particularly desolate and lonely.

"You..." General Lucien hesitated to speak.

Seeing that Louis still had a saber hanging around his waist, the guards and bounty hunters participating in the evidence search looked like they were facing a big enemy, and they all put on a posture ready to fight at any time, surrounding this tricky suspect in the middle.

Contrary to their expectations, Louis casually unhooked the hook on the sword belt, and let the two long swords fall to the ground with their sheaths attached.He looked at the crowd calmly, and finally set his sights on Chu De.

Louis understood everything.He said with a half-smile, "I have no intention of resisting arrest."

The squad leader of the garrison ordered decisively: "Cynthia, quickly tie up the suspect."

The guard who was named obviously hesitated for a moment, but finally took the rope handed by his teammate, walked up to Louis step by step, and put the rope loop on Louis's consciously stretched out forearm.

Cynthia deliberately slowed down, took the opportunity to lower her voice, and reminded Louis in a low voice: "If you are innocent, take advantage of the general's presence, and quickly defend yourself. For example, you have never seen those stolen goods."

Seeing her procrastinating, the team leader urged again: "Cynthia, what are you talking about?"

Cynthia was shocked and had to tighten the rope immediately to tie Louis' hands tightly.Through the narrow gap of the helmet, she took a deep look at Louis, wondering if the other party could understand what she meant.

Chu De stepped forward quickly, grasping Louis's bound hands, his burning eyes showed great concern: "Louis, this is a matter of life and death, please tell everyone where you were that night? The young master said that he would guarantee your innocence."

Louis squinted at Chu De with a sincere face, thinking that this heartbroken appearance was simply acting out.If it wasn't for the lack of joking mood at the moment, he would almost burst out laughing.

Undoubtedly, Chu De has figured out Louis's disposition, knowing that the name "Adrian" itself is the most practical threat.Even if it's just a casual mention, as long as Louis realizes that the Flying Lion Mansion is not indestructible, he will consciously put Adrian's safety above his own innocence and life.

He suddenly remembered the last words of his biological father on his deathbed.

"You will definitely hate me... No, you probably have always hated my father who has never appeared." The old president who was lying on the sick bed had no strength left to speak. "I handed over the association to you, but what awaits you is not only power, but also the jealousy and resentment of others. But apart from this association, I have nothing left for you..."

Then, those trembling hands slowly stretched out to the side of the bed, and stuffed the token symbolizing the identity of the president into Louis' hands, trying to fill up the guilt of his life with the last legacy: "My child..."

The prediction of the old president has long been fulfilled, but the worst result came a little later.

Louis looked down at the thick loops of rope around his wrists, and thought that he was Marenliga's enemy after all.He snorted softly, and was relieved as if he had settled his mind: "Should I go to prison first, or go directly to the gallows?"

Everyone looked at each other in blank dismay, they didn't expect that the murderer who killed the governor would act in a righteous and dignified manner, on the contrary, it seemed that they were wronged.

General Lucien was silent for a long time, turned around with complicated emotions, and said a brief order with great difficulty: "...Take him to prison."

News of Louis' arrest quickly spread to the Flying Lions Mansion.

Sophia screamed that it was not good, and yelled to the servants beside her: "Stop Adrian!" The quill fell on the half-written letterhead, and a large swath of ink soon fainted on the paper.

She was still one step too late.Rushed into Adrian's room, only to see that the window facing the street was open, and the sash was swinging in the wind.

Ignoring the stalking eyeliners around the mansion and the noisy neighing of seabirds after nightfall, Adrian ran across the streets and arch bridges, leaving a trembling afterimage on the waves of the Pearl River.

—I didn't kill anyone.

Louis' answer flashed in Adrian's mind.

He knew Louis was not the murderer.

The conversation on the watchtower hurt Adrian deeply again.Last time it was because Louis underestimated his own life, but this time it was because the "worst possibility" had become a reality.

Standing in front of Louis' house, the luck remaining deep in Adrian's heart was also pulled away from reality a little bit.

In front of him was a vacant house that had been thoroughly searched.The door leaf and the door frame were only half connected by bearings, and they were drooping nondescriptly, and the inside of the house was already a mess.

The author has something to say: Just Punishment - Piotr Adamczyk