Chapter 487 (1/2)

Chapter 487: The Guarding Shield

Translator: TransN Editor: TransN

By dusk, the ship reached the port of the inland river near Longsong Stronghold.

Petrov had heard about their trip and greeted them at the port with his followers. When they returned the castle, a grand welcoming banquet awaited them in the hall of the first floor. After taking over Longsong Stronghold, something changed in Roland’s heart. When watching the nobles giving toasts to each other, he felt the money spent on the banquet came out of his own pocket.

After briefly greeted the eldest son of the Honeysuckle Family, he cut to the chase. “Have the Rats come out again?”

“Judging from the reports we received, it seems so.” Petrov made a gesture to guide the prince to a corner of the hall. “Compared with the former organized Black Street groups, the criminals we recently arrested mostly acted individually, such as thieves, burglars, and murderers, all of whom were pulled to the square to be hung. Since you asked us to judge with adequate proof, the criminals we executed were only a small portion of all the reported criminals. Verifying the information in hand took quite some time. Besides…” The eldest son of the Honeysuckle Family paused. “We’re in a great trouble recently.”

“What is it?”

“Someone openly resisted your policies, Your Highness,” Petrov said in a worried tone. “Earl Medde knows more about it. I’ll ask him to tell you in detail.”

“Your Highness, the Elk Family greets you.” After being summoned, Rene came and bowed to the prince, and then he began to tell the whole story. “Recently, something serious happened in North Street of the outer town… Um, Sheriff Vader would call it a serial killing case.”

“Um, it’s actually what I would call it.” This triggered Roland’s interests. “Carry on.”

“Yes,” Rene Medde said in a serious voice. “Since three days ago, a resident has been found dead at home every night. The victims were all male, lived alone, had no families, and most importantly, they applied for jobs in the City Hall.”

The prince frowned. “Were they regular employees?”

“If handymen can be counted as full-time job, then yes.” The Earl of the Elk Family nodded. “In the room of each victim, there was a painting drawn with blood—a crown and a cross. Because of the identical mark, I sought confirmation from the City Hall and then found all the victims were among the list of people who were about to be sent to the Redriver District to build houses.

“You think their intention is…”

“To sabotage your enrollment plan, Your Highness,” Rene replied. “Rumors have been spreading in North Street saying that whoever applies for a job in the City Hall will be a target for killers.”

“I believe that’s what’s happening.” Petrov chimed. “We’ve employed less than we’d expected, and there’re barely any applicants from North Street. Moreover, there’re applicants who regret applying and say that they’re physically unfit for going out of town and hope that the officials can take their names off the City Hall’s enrollment list. Now, the rumor is only spread in North Street, but if it goes as far as other blocks, it could sabotage your construction plan.”

Roland contemplated for a moment. “Have you got any clues about the suspect?”

“We…” Rene opened his mouth and said after a while, “There were no witnesses to the crimes, so we’ve no idea where to start the searching.”