The Survival Rules of NPCs

Chapter 6: Relief

"Good afternoon, Prosecutor. The banquet is about to begin. Is there anything you need me to do?"

Elsie had just returned when the housekeeper at the villa reported that a distinguished guest had arrived. She hadn't expected that this prosecutor, who usually kept strangers at bay, would visit her alone.

The Rhine Empire's system, modeled after most southern countries, separated judicial power from local nobles. Local nobles' seals of authority could stipulate the occupations of most of their subjects and hire teams to handle government affairs, such as finance ministers, interior ministers, and sheriffs. However, judicial and supervisory bodies could only be directly appointed by the central judicial body of the empire.

In other words, local nobles had no right to appoint judges and prosecutors.

The prosecutor's daily duties are to review local criminal cases and bring charges, but their most important duties are to supervise corruption among nobles, ensure the empire's tax revenue, and ensure that no local authorities are hiding any significant assets. It can be said that the positions of these two agencies are naturally at odds with the local nobles.

With the city lord assassinated, Prosecutor Lady Claire took the opportunity to openly monitor all the nobles in Holy Stone City, clearly trying to establish her authority. As a knight personally appointed by the former city lord, she naturally sided with the local nobles. In recent years, she had also served as the sheriff of Rose Avenue and often dealt with people from the inspection bureau, but it was all done in an official capacity. They often had disagreements and had never had any dealings with this important figure before. This was the first time he had come to her door in person since they met.

"Oh, no need to be so serious, Sir Elsie. It's just some personal matters I'd like to ask you."

Lady was an elderly man in his fifties who was taller than the people of Northern High Court. The prosecutor's gentleman's uniform could not hide his huge frame and strong body. Sitting on the leather sofa in the villa, he looked like an upright grizzly bear.

He patted a thin young man beside him with his large hand, a gentle smile appearing on his usually serious face: "My nephew has just received his knighthood and is about to go to Conslade to serve as a regional sheriff. However, he is still too young. Although he is brave on the battlefield, he has no experience in security management. Among the sheriffs I know, Ms. Elsie, your ability is absolutely second to none. Therefore, I would like to ask you to mentor my young lad."

"You flatter me, my lord!" Elsie smiled and nodded to indicate that she understood the other party's purpose, but a trace of anxiety flashed deep in her eyes. When she returned home earlier, she saw a hidden mark outside the villa. She knew very well what it meant. The Blood Cult, which had not contacted her for three years, suddenly sent an envoy to visit her. But at this critical moment, the most formidable superhuman in the city came to visit her!

"No, no, no, I'm just telling the truth." The other person said respectfully, "The fact that Rose Avenue has become the most favored area in Holy Stone City in recent years, besides the noble district, is all thanks to you. To be honest, you are the most suitable candidate to become the Knight Commander."

"You flatter me. The Knight Commander has experienced many battles and has made great achievements, which is far beyond what a junior like me can compare to. As for the peace and tranquility of Rose Avenue, it is the result of the joint efforts of the community security officers."

"Did you learn something, Will?" Lady smiled at her nephew. "The Rose Avenue sheriffs are so dedicated not only because they are well-paid, but also because they have a good boss. Being willing to take credit for their subordinates is a basic quality of a good boss."

"I understand, Uncle. Thank you for your guidance, Senior Elsie." The thin man quickly bowed.

Elsie returned the greeting reluctantly. It seemed she couldn't shake off the uncle and nephew today. She could only hope that the envoy would be perceptive enough not to come looking for her at this time. However, envoys from the Blood Cult were usually very experienced, so they probably wouldn't...

"Madam, we have a guest visiting you."

The butler's voice rang out in the living room, causing Elsie's hand, which was holding a coffee cup, to tremble slightly!

"Oh?" Lady smiled slightly. "Are you one of the people attending the banquet tonight? Then we can go together."

"No..." Elsie put down her coffee. "It's a relative visiting from afar. I need to settle him in, so I might have to excuse myself for a moment."

"A distant relative?" Lady's smile faded. "But as far as I know, the four city gates have been sealed off since the city lord was assassinated yesterday. How did your relative get in?"

Elsie tensed up, and when she looked up, she saw that Prosecutor Lady was still calmly holding a coffee on the sofa opposite her, while her thin nephew had already stood up and walked out.

Elsie's eyelids twitched, and she subconsciously wanted to get up to stop him, but found her body incredibly heavy. When she looked at the prosecutor opposite her, all that remained on his face was a cold scrutiny.

"It seems I visited at the wrong time, and stumbled upon some of your secrets, Sir Elsie."

Elsie's face was grim. She knew very well how strong the old man in front of her was, but if she didn't fight back, she would face judgment from the Sunfire Cult!

Damn it, the cult's messengers are getting more and more unreliable. Don't they ever do any research before they come?

Just as they were about to take action, Lady's nephew's voice came from outside: "It's the corpse collector from the north of the city."

"Huh?" Lady paused, a hint of surprise showing on her usually composed face.

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Half an hour ago:

Intelligence 1: The divine blood carried by the Blood Cult's messengers comes from the Blood Ancestor. Direct consumption has a 30% chance of granting extraordinary blood magic empowerment. If enhanced through the messenger ritual, this chance will increase to 50%.

Intelligence 2: The envoy has been poisoned by the Thousand-Faced Flower and is under mind control; his consciousness is in chaos.

Intelligence 3: A high-level superhuman infiltrated the Heart of the Forest cult yesterday. His abilities are no less than those of Prosecutor Lady. The soldiers at the North Gate are now completely under the control of the Heart of the Forest.

Intelligence 4: There is one hour left before the Forest Heart Cult members kidnap all the doctors' relatives on Rose Avenue.

Intelligence 5: There are three hours left before the city lord's wife, Eliza, dies suddenly from the poisoning.

"Hey, as you requested, we've captured him alive. Tell me quickly, what's that quest clue you said was worth more than a thousand gold coins?"

Wang Gou Dan kicked the unconscious messenger and asked.

Bright cautiously stepped forward, rummaged through the other man's pockets for a while, and then took out a drop of blood contained in a gold necklace. He looked up at Wang Gou Dan, whose eyes were wide open, and thought for a moment before saying, "Two choices. First, this gold necklace is yours, and the blood inside is yours too. You have a 30% chance of receiving the extraordinary empowerment of blood magic. You only need to pay me another 500 gold nars. Second, you can infiltrate the banquet as planned and continue the mission. The promise of the Shadow Potion still stands, and you also have the opportunity to extort a reward of 1,000 gold nars from the Minister of the Interior. In addition, the more valuable mission clues I mentioned before will also be told to you now."

"This..." Wang Gou Dan hesitated. The gold necklace was exquisitely crafted and had a dazzling gemstone. The necklace alone should be worth several hundred gold nars. In addition, with the extraordinary divine blood inside, it was not unreasonable for the other party to ask for five hundred gold nars. But the key was that he didn't have any!

Moreover, Blood Magic, being a transcendental enchantment, didn't seem to suit her class as well as Shadow Enchantment. After thinking about it, she decided to choose the second one.

"Let's stick to the previous task."

"Okay..." Bright nodded, calmly putting the gold necklace into his pocket, and then said seriously, "Later, when you sneak into the banquet with Elsie, besides trying to get in touch with the Minister of the Interior, you can also try to get close to the Lady of the City." As he spoke, Bright took out a small green bottle.

"What is this?"

"The essence of a pure man who has not been contaminated by women."

"What?"

"You don't need to worry about what it is. Just take this to the city lord's wife and say it can suppress the curse within her. As for how much money you can extort, that depends on your skills!"

"Uh... really?" Wang Gou Dan took the simple bottle with some skepticism, feeling that the smell of the contents was somewhat familiar.

Watching the other person carefully put away their things, Bright felt a little guilty and avoided their suspicious gaze. He couldn't blame himself for being sleazy; who the hell could have predicted that the thing that could counteract the Thousand-Faced Flower Poison would be that thing?

"But the prosecutor is staying with that female knight, how am I supposed to run into her? That old woman will definitely recognize me."

"I'll give it a try..." Bright said, glancing again at the gate of the villa where Elsie was.

The mission intelligence revealed that the city was becoming increasingly dangerous, and in order to make a quick buck and leave before things escalated, I had to take a risk.

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"You mean, you summoned this corpse collector to investigate the female assassin?"

Prosecutor Lady looked at Brett, who looked uneasy, with a half-smile.

"The Lady of the City asked me to do this, and I was just doing my duty. After all, as a sheriff, I also have the authority to investigate murder cases, don't I?" Elsie quickly adjusted her mindset and thought of all her explanations.

Lady's purpose is not simple. Judging from his posture just now, he seems to know something in advance. He was obviously going to take me down. I almost couldn't help but make a move, but I didn't expect this guy to come.

"Really?" Lady looked at Bright.

"Yes...yes..." Bright lowered his head, looking humble and unable to meet her gaze.

Lady frowned slightly and looked outside again. The winter sunset came quickly, and it was already showing signs of getting dark before six o'clock in the afternoon.

"What are you waiting for, my lord?" Elsie asked quietly.

"Oh, it's nothing..." Lady smiled. "I'm very sorry, I was being too sensitive just now. Since the sheriff wants to inquire about the case, it's not appropriate for me, as the prosecutor, to stay here any longer. I'll take my leave now. Please consider my nephew's matter carefully."

"I'll consider it," Elsie said calmly.

Lady wasn't embarrassed by the cold response. She gestured to her thin nephew, and the butler saw him off as they left the villa.

Only after the other person had walked away did Elsie slowly sit down on the sofa, her back almost soaked with cold sweat.

She didn't know why Lady suspected her, but if the messenger had come to her earlier, she would have been finished. Luckily, it was this guy who came...

"I don't remember calling you over."

"There's no way around it..." Bright shrugged. "The person we prepared is a twin of the previous female assassin. With the prosecutor here, it's easy for her to be recognized."

"It was Lord Allen who assassinated Lord Martin?" Elsie's pupils contracted.

"This is none of your business as a Blood Cult member," Bright continued irresponsibly, spreading rumors. "The prosperity of this city was built by Lord Allen himself. A spoiled brat like Martin has no right to inherit this city."

Anyway, they'll be running away in a couple of days, so the cost of spreading rumors isn't high...

"But how did you know Lord Lady would suddenly visit me?"

"I not only knew that the prosecutor would be visiting you, but I also knew that the Blood Cult's envoy would be visiting you. However, you don't need to worry. Lord Allen has already taken action to resolve the trouble. This is our way of showing goodwill to you, and we hope that you will show the same goodwill in our future cooperation."

I see......

Elsie's face was grim. Had the messenger been dealt with? Or captured alive?

That idiot gave herself the biggest weakness in the other party's hands. Damn it, if it weren't for her child, she wouldn't want to have anything to do with this stupid church.

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"Uncle... things don't seem to be going as planned."

"No plan is foolproof; variables... are the norm!" Lady sat in the carriage, casually glancing at the latest newspaper. "I've done what they asked of me. As for why the Blood Cult's envoy didn't come, that's not my problem."

"But......"

"No buts..." The other person put down the newspaper, glanced at the darkening sky outside the carriage, and said quietly, "It's a good opportunity to see how those people handle unexpected events. If they can't even deal with this, then there's no need to continue cooperating!"