Chapter 234: Snowy Night, Burning Flames

Chapter 234: Snowy Night, Burning Flames

Tonight in Backlund is very long, so long that many people cannot see the red sun dispelling the night.

Snow begins to fall again, more urgently than before, quickly covering the streets with a thin white blanket.

The homeless, already struggling to sleep, are disturbed by the snow and rise to find a warm place to stay.

Wandering the dark streets, they are drawn to clusters of firelight. Many people are moving firewood and starting bonfires on open ground, with corpses laid atop the flames.

Many people died on the streets during the day. Some take advantage of the cold, snowy night to burn the bodies, preventing the spread of a terrible plague.

This is a real case that has happened in many remote places, providing valuable guidance for those living in Backlund.

Only by purifying the bodies with flames can the spread of the plague be effectively prevented.

Although the official explanation for today's events is that excessive toxic elements in the smog caused many people to fall ill and die, the general public, already skeptical of official reports, cannot accept that environmental issues are the cause of death. They are more inclined to believe it is a flu or plague spreading in Backlund.

And the source of the flu and plague is the homeless who came to Backlund from other places! They brought the unfortunate plague to Backlund!

When the clueless homeless try to warm themselves by the fire, they are thrown into the burning piles of wood by nearby people.

This is not an isolated case. Some areas have already started hunting down the homeless, treating them as the source of the plague and burning them at the stake.

Some more extreme individuals have extended their targets to stray cats and dogs, believing they are also symbols of impurity.

Once the flames are ignited in Backlund, they are hard to extinguish.

The Queen's District at midnight is not much different from usual. The news of Duke Negan's death has not yet spread throughout the noble circle.

But Hastur knows, as Greck sent someone to inform him and invited him to Duke Negan's villa.

At three or four in the morning, Hastur is still with Greck, handling some of Duke Negan's posthumous affairs.

Taking a break, Greck pulls Hastur into the study and closes the door.

With a tired yet hateful expression, he says, "Hastur, I want to know who has been secretly assassinating my father! You must know who it is! Tell me, we are good friends, aren't we?"

Hastur sighs and, after a moment of silence, says, "It's not an organization to be trifled with. Once you say its name, it will bring you misfortune."

Greck forces a smile and says, "Hastur, you should understand my nature. If I were afraid, I wouldn't be asking you this question tonight."

"Greck, I do understand your character, but you don't understand the terror of that organization. If you trust me, I will tell you the answer when the time is right. This is out of concern for a good friend."

Hastur still chooses not to tell Greck the truth. Greck has no secret authority. Once he learns about the Twilight Hermit Order, Adam will also know of his existence.

Perhaps Adam doesn't care about this small flame of revenge, but someone might want to extinguish it to prevent any accidents.

Because Greck will inherit Duke Negan's title, with his uncle's help, he will soon become another Duke Negan.

The Twilight Hermit Order chose to kill Duke Negan because he was a hindrance, capable of influencing the tides of the era.

Hastur doesn't want Greck to become the second Duke Negan.

"Hastur..."

Greck finally holds back, covering his face with his hand, and says painfully, "Hastur, will you help me take revenge on that organization?"

"I will."

"Good. The person who assassinated my father tonight is his trusted secretary, Lockhart Siakam. Can you help me find him?"

"I can."

Hastur agrees to this request. He has already decided that before leaving Backlund, he will throw Lockhart Siakam's head at Greck's feet.

"Hastur, I hope you won't betray my trust. I can no longer trust anyone else, including my uncle."

Greck whispers and then leaves the study.

Hastur sits alone on the study's sofa, looking at the open door, feeling complicated.

He didn't expect Duke Negan to ultimately die at the hands of the Twilight Hermit Order.

Besides Duke Negan's carelessness, the Twilight Hermit Order was willing to sacrifice pawns.

If one assassination fails, they immediately carry out a second one.

"Lockhart Siakam..."

Hastur mutters twice, preparing to leave the study when Earl Hall walks in.

"I have something to discuss with you."

"Please sit."

Earl Hall sits opposite Hastur, looking at him for a while before saying, "Although Duke Negan has unfortunately passed away, your trip to Southwell County is already decided. According to the current situation, you will go to Southwell County after the New Year. Do you need any help?"

"I need some funds."

Hastur unceremoniously states his need for money.

Although he has saved enough for his expenses, who would mind having more money? The more money, the more things can be done. This is always beneficial.

"That's easy. I can apply for some funds from the king, but it won't be much, probably not more than one hundred thousand gold pounds."

One hundred thousand gold pounds?!

That's quite a lot.

Hastur appreciates Earl Hall's generosity but says, "I will spend it sparingly. If it's not enough, I think the Grand Duke of Southwell will support me a bit."

"That's true. You are going to Southwell County to share his burden. He should indeed meet your needs."

After discussing this matter, Earl Hall mentions today's events, including Duke Negan's assassination.

"The kingdom is currently at a critical point. Some people hope the kingdom becomes more chaotic. I think today's events are orchestrated by those who want to destabilize the kingdom."

"Yes, I think the same. But do you really think so?"

Earl Hall seems to see through something, as if testing.

"Duke Negan's death might also be related to the struggle between the new and old parties of the nobility."

Hastur throws out a sharp viewpoint to satisfy Earl Hall's speculation.

Earl Hall remains silent for a while before saying, "Do you think I am with the new party or the old party?"

"The new party." Hastur answers without hesitation.

Although Earl Hall is close to Duke Negan, his actions align more with the new party's style.

Duke Negan is also aware of this. However, the Negan family is like a large ship that is hard to turn around, so they can only use tactics to compensate and cannot change their stance.

"Our king is also with the new party." Hastur adds a weighty statement.

Earl Hall shakes his head and smiles, "No, our king is in a party of his own."

Hastur just smiles without speaking. He knows that the king is the king, and the party is the party. But sometimes, one shouldn't appear too smart, especially when alone with someone.

For him, there is no difference between the new and old parties, as long as Earl Hall doesn't ask about the Twilight Hermit Order.

Outside, the snow falls heavier, covering the streets with a two-finger-thick layer of snow, but the burning fire grows larger.

Until dawn, the flames on the bonfires gradually die down, leaving only wisps of smoke rising with the chimney smoke into the sky.

No matter what major events happened yesterday, the factories that should be working today are still working, and those who can work still go to work.

As for how many people disappeared overnight, no one will ask, because even if they do, it cannot be accurately counted.

Today, all of Backlund's attention is on the assassination of Duke Negan last night.

The king is furious, and the prime minister expresses his determination to punish the culprit severely.

Today, all the newspapers in Backlund have this event as their front-page news, along with the wanted notice for Duke Negan's assassin.

The reward offered by the Negan family alone is one hundred thousand gold pounds!

This is a huge fortune, tempting not only ordinary people but also many extraordinary individuals.

Hugh and Fors are very tempted, especially Hugh, who quickly gets motivated and starts working.

Leonard and Klein, who have been jointly tracking Ince Zangwill, are also very interested in this reward.

If it weren't for the need to track Ince Zangwill, Klein would have gone to the gray fog to divine some information, hoping to earn hundreds of gold pounds from the Negan family.

...

When Hastur leaves Duke Negan's villa, it is already two or three in the afternoon. Upon returning, he takes a bath and then goes to bed.

When he wakes up, it is already past nine in the evening.

He goes downstairs to eat something, plays with the cat for a while, and then returns to his room under Azara's reluctant gaze, lies on the bed, and enters the Hall of Stars.

He is also very concerned about Lockhart Siakam's whereabouts. With only ten days left until the New Year, he aims to deliver a big gift to Greck before then.

Earl Hall tells him that he will go to Southwell County within ten days after the New Year.

This means he doesn't have much time to deal with Lockhart Siakam.

Twilight Hermit Order, this time, I will kill one of your members and use his head to send you a message: influencing the tides of the era comes at a price.

(End of this chapter)