Chapter 16 A murderous gathering of the law-abiding townspeople
The mayor of Wind's Breath Town, the magician Toffler, fell on the soil of the forest.
He didn't think it was unfortunate. In fact, the negative energy summoned by Sha Bron's magic eroded his body and soul. He thought it was a miracle that he could even get here.
This is an open space deep in the forest. Six or seven armed men have set up fires and prepared ropes. The mayor who is waiting for them leads a foreign boy with emerald eyes and brilliant blond hair into the forest.
middle.
If Chabron were here, he would be beyond surprised: he knew—or at least met—everyone in the group who tried to kill him.
They are not esoteric cultists who have madness in their eyes, who chant forgotten names in the abyss, and who open their mouths to laugh with their leaky front teeth exposed.
They are the always obedient old carpenter John, the blue-shirted Bol who plays the flute in Wind Song Square, the dedicated uncle Ulan in the bakery, the postman Sam who rides a bicycle through the town, and even the meticulous
Officer Follett.
Some of them played the comical "Sir Maureen and the Three Pigs" for Chamberlain, some personally handed the golden French fries wrapped in oil paper to Chamberlain, and some of them helped find the man who broke the window of the temple at Chamberlain's request.
The culprits. They are usually the most law-abiding residents in the town, but now they - maybe they are too.
This group of ordinary townspeople saw Toffler, who had been released from the [Disguise Spell], lying on the ground. His skin was black and covered with sores.
Seeing the mayor lying on the ground, old carpenter John seemed to be shaking something in his heart that was originally unshakable. His tone was full of confusion and doubt, and his voice was trembling:
"Do we really want to do this?
"Like I personally lit the firewood pile under my son last year?
"While Jacks was being lured away, we used the power of rituals in the book to quietly set fire to his home and nearby plants in an attempt to sacrifice two children from a foreign land.
"Then what? The ceremony failed! For the first time in centuries, there was a strong wind in Wind's Breath Town. The strong wind spread the fire, and the ceremony turned into a disaster. In the end, the heavy rain extinguished the flame. But I almost died in it.
The fire scene.
"Isn't this a punishment from some god?
"The current Chabron has obviously helped us. He is our benefactor, a gifted pastor favored by the Eternal One, such a good boy!
"Mr. Mayor! Look at your appearance, the punishment has also fallen on you!"
After saying all this, the old carpenter John threw the stick in his hand to the ground.
The magician Toffler sat up with difficulty - time has bleached the mayor's hair and carved wrinkles on his face; but now, the punishment of divine magic is no less than what time has done to him,
Let his skin be covered with blight and ulcerated wounds:
"If you don't sacrifice them, won't you be condemned by your conscience? Over the years, how many people have made sacrifices to maintain the tradition, and..." With a solemn face, he used all his strength to solemnly say
Speaking of:
"This is stipulated by law!"
Although the content was extremely weird and seemed illogical, his expression was solemn, as if he was saying something sacred and natural.
"Are you planning to break the law?"
Hearing this, Old John acted as if he felt some kind of divine announcement, lowered his head and stopped talking.
Everyone seemed to feel something at the same time, and they all knelt down. They took out the heavy iron books from their pockets, opened the holy book, and read out each decree described in the book with a majestic voice.
These laws seem to have existed before history. They are not just written on paper or bulletin boards, and they are not just clichés in yellowed files. Every rule and every word of the law has been deeply imprinted on the history.
In the soul, all the townspeople can remember with almost no effort:
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"In order to promote the development of science and technology and ensure the order of production of constructs in the kingdom, the sacred law makes the following provisions...
“From the first heart beat on March 15 of each year to the first breath on April 14 of that year, one or two people aged 11 to 22 years old, or whose age is an imaginary number, must be burned with flames.
Humanoids (a blind, lame cobbler with green hair is also eligible, even if the age does not match). Until it is confirmed that the subject has lost heartbeat, breathing, pulse and other physiological functions that are not actually necessary...
"Inject the subject's soul into the scarecrow construct as a driving source through the following steps...
"If possible, give priority to the person whose age has the smallest difference with the nearest prime number as the sacrifice for the festival, or who has the lowest common multiple with 918483384..."
"In a serious and objective scientific spirit, we must ensure the correct implementation of all ritual steps, especially the psychological and physical pain that the ritual objects should suffer during the burning process. The specific cooking methods such as the amount of seasonings, etc. are as follows...
"High-quality products are made by hand. This principle has lasted for hundreds of years but is still enduring..."
"If the ritual fails due to the performer's negligence, causing the construct to fail to be created or the function to seriously deviate from expectations, the performer will be sentenced to 'mandatory breathing restraint' for 3 hours and 17 minutes. Usually those who accept this punishment will be executed before
In the process...
"Due to the lack of contribution of the Strangers to the historical development of this town, and for the long-term interests of the townspeople, the sacrifices of the festival should be given priority to the Strangers. Scientific research has shown that the Strangers are a non-human species that can bring heavy metal pollution.
, which is very aggressive and is defined as follows...
"If it is not necessary, the above production processes - especially the cooking and ritual aspects of the victims - should be kept secret from strangers before the ceremony begins. Anyone who leaks the secret without reason should be sentenced to suicide if the circumstances are serious...
"This law is scientific, perfect, full of logic, praiseworthy, able to speak for itself, charming, impeccable, sweet and delicious, worth 6 gold coins and 4 silver coins..."
"I swear: I will dedicate myself to the supreme science, reason and truth - any dedication that is given such a glorious name is great...
"The division is finally complete, and the God of All Machines is honored..."
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After solemnly reciting the laws in the holy book, the magician Toffler made a gesture to indicate to each participant to close the open iron book. The mechanical eyeball of the old mayor's left eye glowed red, terrifying
The human light reveals the black blindfold:
"Everything will be over soon. His magic can seriously injure me, but it is impossible to defeat the creation that the past victims sacrificed their lives for."
"You sent a scarecrow to deal with him?" Old John looked quite surprised, "That thing... that thing can tear a lion into pieces!"
"No," the seriously injured mayor shook his head. His skin, which had been corrupted by the [Injury] spell and turned black and hardened, was torn a few points by simple movements.
"It's two."
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A good news and a bad news.
The good news is that the [Burning Hands] spell that Chabron has been waiting to use can now burn two targets.
The bad news is, he's going to die.
The two scarecrows were pressing towards the little priest step by step. Their burlap eyes were full of malice, and their "faces" still had that nerve-wracking smile...
