In the Western Continent, the conflicts between various countries focus on the city of Yodun.
The royal family and the cabinet are still dealing with Gordon and the Northern Kingdom over the issue of disaster compensation.
The atmosphere in the city is still so heavy.
Counting from the day she was discharged from the hospital, Abigail has lived in this sad city for almost half a month.
Her body was still the same, and there was no point in staying any longer, so she suggested that Aunt Rachel arrange her schedule and prepare to return to Velen's hometown to recuperate.
When her aunt went out to order train tickets, Abigail looked at the packed luggage in the room, turned and looked out the window.
The streets downstairs were empty, and people seemed to have gathered at the City Hall Square. Protests and riots occurred from time to time.
The alliance of nations, headed by the Kingdom of Gordon, put great pressure on Queen Victoria regarding the Blackwater Disaster. The amount of compensation listed was so huge that even Greybean, as the overlord of the Western Continent, could not afford it. For this reason, cabinet officials launched a heated discussion on how to handle this matter.
The Royal Army proposed to go to war directly with Gordon, just like the last eight-year war, so that the Lugao people in the west would taste defeat again. Once they win, they can not only avoid huge disaster compensation, but also turn to the enemy for money. However, the foreign ministers strongly opposed this policy. After all, the Eight-Year War was a competition for the resources of red land colonial ports and overseas islands. The northern countries did not take action, which was tantamount to Gordon and Gray Bean fighting alone, let alone
At that time, Saiguo was not yet independent, so it provided a lot of support to Gray Bean.
But this time it's different. The countries in the north that don't believe in the glow are also on Gordon's side. Once the war starts, it will be Greybean fighting against all the other regimes in the Western Continent. The risk of defeat is too great.
The officers believed that as long as Gordon was defeated, the northern countries together would not be a concern, so the debates in the cabinet became deadlocked, and scoldings and fights occurred from time to time in meetings.
However, the House of Lords, which mainly focuses on the interests of the aristocracy, has provided such a suggestion, which is to formulate a new bill to increase taxes on citizens...
This news somehow leaked out and spread to various cities and counties, leading to continuous demonstrations and riots.
Especially in Yodon, public security is deteriorating and the government is on the verge of collapse.
Abigail wants to escape from this land of right and wrong as soon as possible, and there is this reason.
However, things are unpredictable and misfortunes never come singly. She finally had no chance to leave Jotun.
……
Bang! Bang! Bang!
The door was knocked rudely, and a serious voice came from outside.
"Miss Abigail Gerstaf Herman! Please open the door immediately, we are investigators from the Velen Inspection Bureau!"
Abigail was a little overwhelmed by the sudden investigation.
She didn't understand what happened and tried to open the door, but as soon as her hand touched the handle, the door was rudely opened by someone outside.
She fell to the ground and stared blankly at the five or six beak mask investigators who broke into the rental house.
These guys, regardless of the owner's reaction, directly searched the entire room, turned her room and her aunt's room upside down, and scattered all kinds of personal belongings all over the floor.
Abigail saw that someone had found her sheep skull statue and packed it into a box to take away.
Suddenly, she panicked and quickly stopped the other party, making a hoarse sound of resistance in her throat.
"You...you..."
"Miss Herman!" an investigator whose face was hidden under a mask said to her in a deep voice, "Unfortunately, you have been accused of participating in the Blackwater Disaster. The Inspectorate has received approval to arrest you. Please follow us.
Let’s take a trip!”
……
The weak lady was unable to resist under the pressure of the authorities. She was hooded and escorted out of the apartment building with her hands tied.
Soon after, in the Jotun branch of the Velen Police Bureau, Abigail was locked in a dark interrogation room and was interrogated by two invisible investigators.
"Ms. Abigail Gerstave Herman, is that the name?"
The other party's questions rang in Abigail's ears. Except for a door to go out, she was surrounded by closed solid walls, and a rare incandescent lamp hung above her head.
The pain in her throat appeared again, and Abigail nodded with difficulty.
The interrogation outside the room sounded again: "Ms. Herman, someone has accused you of participating in the evil rituals of the Blackwater Disaster and being the direct culprit that led to the deaths of 100,000 people. Do you admit it?"
Hearing this, Abigail looked up suddenly. The half of her intact face was full of horror and bewilderment, and her eyes shone with incomprehensible surprise.
"No...I...I didn't..."
The more excited she is, the more difficult it is to speak, but she will never accept such an accusation.
People outside the house then asked: "Is the cult statue at the scene a tool for performing disaster rituals?"
Abigail shook her head wildly. She hesitated and tried her best to explain the origin of the statue to the interrogator, and she was extremely surprised in her heart because she had explained it clearly to Dardaniel a long time ago.
"You are lying! Miss Herman, you are still using the statue to perform cult rituals after you returned home. Our investigators have found out the truth, and we hope you will not continue to hide it..."
Abigail was stunned when she heard this.
She opened her mouth but hesitated to speak, but she didn't know what she should say to refute.
The last time she met Mr. Yi, she had closed the curtains in the room. How did the other party know that she was doing the dream ritual?
"No...no...I...I am innocent...Gu, it is Carmen...Carmen..."
Abigail didn't understand that same sentence. She had tried her best to explain it to Dardaniel, but why did the people from the Velen Police Bureau not trust her at all?
They only need to go to Professor Carmen's house, find the hidden room, take out Professor Carmen's manuscript and look through it...
"Professor Carmen again, Miss Herman, your confession can no longer be confirmed. Not only is the whereabouts of the professor himself unknown, but even his home broke out in a fire on the day of the disaster, and everything was burned down...
”
Hearing this, Abigail's brain felt like it was struck by lightning, and countless unexpected situations beat her nerves mercilessly.
"Unfortunately, all the evidence is against you now. If you don't explain what this statue is used for, we can definitely conclude that you are the real culprit who performed the evil ritual!"
The purpose of the sheep skull statue...
Abigail's mind immediately flashed to Mr. Yi's mysterious figure hidden in the shadows.
Of course, there is also the other party’s final instructions——
"The only rule of survival is to prevent the enemy from feeling your presence. Please remember that under no circumstances can I inform anyone of my existence except the Taoist gathering..."
The only criterion for survival...
Mr. Yi...
Abigail recited this sentence silently in her heart, gritted her teeth, looked up at the wall in front of her, and replied with difficulty: "No... it has no use..."
(ps: Based on reader Lu Ximing’s suggestion, the protagonist’s hidden pseudonym for De Gaulle was changed to Vladimir Judler Watson, and the previous and subsequent manuscripts were replaced accordingly)