Chapter 418 Accident
Just from the name "Firstborn Son Sacrifice System", Gilan can easily think of "Firstborn Son Sacrifice System".
They all originate from a custom of the old god belief and belong exclusively to the religious culture of the first Si Sui "Scar Father".
The two are quite similar, but they are essentially different.
The "Firstborn Son Sacrifice System" requires the eldest son to be eaten alive in a "sharing ceremony" at a specific time and place, in a cruel way that violates human ethics, to please the old gods in exchange for strength, body or lifespan The gift above.
This evil doctrine was born out of the "firstborn son sacrifice system", but it has been greatly modified and distorted.
The irony is that this extreme approach makes it easier for the "scar father" to pay attention and obtain gifts.
As the original doctrine, the "primogeniture sacrifice system" seems a little more "normal".
This religious system is that if the eldest child in the family is born and is found to have a congenital disease or obvious defect, then a "glorification ceremony" will be held to allow the baby to die without any pain. .
In exchange, your children will be healthy and safe in the future.
Although this is equally deformed in Gillan's opinion, it is slightly less abominable than the "firstborn son sacrifice system".
But no matter how you say it, Gilan feels that "Scar's father"'s belief in the old gods itself has problems.
It seems like a big invisible hand, playing with human desires and emotions.
This sense of déjà vu made Gilan very disgusted.
It’s just that this belief has a long history and is deeply rooted in the western region, especially the Stuttgart Empire.
For the people of Stuttgart, sacrificing their eldest son and newborn with obvious defects in exchange for the health and safety of their future children is a very cost-effective "exchange".
At the same time, for the eldest son himself, it is precisely because of his "sacrifice" that his younger siblings can thrive. And it will die "honorably" without pain.
This is the destination that all warriors long for.
Therefore, for thousands of years, the "firstborn son sacrifice system" has never been banned in this land. Instead, it has become a religious tradition.
During the meal, Duke Hawkes said frankly that his eldest son, Carlo Barbaroche, was "sacrificed" at birth.
Because of differences in culture and concepts, even if Gillan disapproved of this approach in his heart, he did not express his position.
None of the members of the envoy group made any comments about this.
While everyone was dining, they suddenly heard a rush of footsteps outside the restaurant.
Jilan turned around and looked.
I saw a strong man with gray hair and beard, wearing leather shoulder pads and a white robe, rushing towards him with an anxious look on his face. Behind him were four or five elite guards wearing armor and carrying swords.
This person didn't even bother to say hello. He walked straight to Duke Hawkes and whispered to him.
Gilan has excellent hearing and easily caught the whispers.
“…Your Excellency, something happened at Rude Mine! More than 300 miners and more than 100 soldiers all fell into a coma, and more than half of them died directly and turned into dust and disappeared! "
"There seems to be a high-risk 'Night Monument' deep in the mine, and it suddenly erupted!"
"Huh?" Duke Hawkes was startled, and his face changed slightly. But the first sentence he asked was:
"Where is Sheriff Kuole?"
"The Sheriff has also fallen asleep."
The strong man replied.
Duke Hawks suddenly fell silent.
After a few seconds, he slowly stood up from the chair. Although he tried his best to hide it, Gillan still saw anxiety from his expression.
"How could there be... under the mine?"
Duke Hawks' tone was low, implying anger.
"Didn't Wang Ting's 'Desert Patrol' just come here a few days ago and conduct a mysterious exploration of the territory? How could they not find it?!"
"This..." Zhuang Han was speechless for a moment.
“Immediately send someone to ask for help from the Royal Court! At the same time, evacuate the people in the Rude Mine and surrounding areas, and seal it off!”
Duke Hawkes quickly ordered.
“This is beyond what we can handle!”
“Yes, Your Majesty the Duke.”
The strong man bowed quickly and led the people out.
After they left, Duke Hawkes frowned, but he turned around, forced a smile on his face and said to Gillan and others:
"I'm really sorry, Mr. Gillan, envoys... Something unexpected happened in the territory, which disturbed everyone's interest."
"It doesn't matter." Gillan put down his knife and fork, wiped his mouth with a napkin, and shook his head. "Duke Hawkes should deal with the urgent matters at hand first."
"Thank you, Mr. Gillan, for your understanding... In that case, please excuse me."
>Duke Hawkes breathed a sigh of relief. After speaking to Gillan, he called a few servants and hurried out.
Only the members of the envoys were left in the restaurant to look at each other.
This sudden accident also surprised everyone. Fortunately, the housekeeper of the villa was extremely responsible and continued to entertain the Duke warmly after he left.
The envoy group had enough to eat and drink.
After the meal, they followed the servant's guidance upstairs and checked into the guest room.
Each room is quite spacious and luxurious, and is equipped with an independent bathroom.
The travel-stained group took a good wash and swept away their original fatigue.
The night is getting darker.
At ten o'clock, there was a sudden knock on Jilan's door.
Tuk Tuk.
Gilan, who was sitting by the window with his eyes closed and concentrating, slowly opened his eyes and glanced in the direction of the door.
“Who?”
"Sorry, Mr. Gillan, to disturb your rest. I am the Duke's butler. I have something to ask you..."
Click.
The door opens.
Jilan saw outside, standing the butler who had entertained them during the dinner. The other party looked respectful, lowered his head and said:
"The Duke has returned. He asked me to bring you a message... He said he has something important to discuss with you and is waiting in the study."
Ji Lan was thoughtful and said:
"Lead the way."
"Yes, sir."
After the butler finished speaking, he stepped forward to lead the way.
Gilan followed him up the wooden stairs and continued upstairs. Soon he reached the innermost side of the aisle on the third floor.
When the butler knocked on the door, Duke Hawkes' tired voice came from inside:
"Come in."
The butler opened the door, then stood outside the door silently, without going in.
Jilan nodded to him and walked in alone.
The housekeeper then slowly closed the study door and guarded the outside.
"Mr. Gillan, I'm sorry to disturb your rest."
Duke Hawks, who was sitting on the sofa, stood up and said in a deep voice.
Gilan waved his hand and said:
"Why did the Duke invite me here?"
"Please sit down, sir."
< br>
Duke Hawkes stretched out his hand to signal.
Jilan nodded and sat down.
The Duke made him a cup of tea and handed him an expensive cigar. After Jilan declined, he whispered:
"To be honest, the accident in the territory is related to the 'Night Monument'..."
Although Jilan knew in his heart, But he also pretended to be surprised.
"Nightmare Monument?" He had superb acting skills and frowned slightly. "Is the situation serious?"
"Quite serious!" Duke Hawkes rubbed his temples. "This is by no means an ordinary level of 'Nightmare Monument', it has reached at least level three!"
Hearing this, Ji Lan raised his eyebrows.
Level 3 Nightmare Monument is the remains of Level 6 long-lived people after their death.
The degree of danger can be imagined.
No wonder Duke Hawkes is so sad.
But what Gillan was more curious about was why Duke Hawkes was so late and still called him to the study alone.
It’s not just about drinking tea and chatting. "The support from the royal court cannot arrive in a short time, but the nightmare energy cannot be contained in time. At this time, it has spread outside the mine..."
Duke Hawkes looked sad. .
He raised his eyes with hope.
"Mr. Gillan, before your visit, I learned about your deeds in detail... You are not only the Foreign Minister of Bremen, but also a high-level member of the mysterious investigation committee."
"You must know more about mysterious matters than I do... I would like to ask, do you have any way to temporarily curb the spread of nightmare energy and wake up the sleeping people?"
Gilan was silent for a moment.
“There are three ways to contain the nightmare energy.”
he said.
“First, kill the nightmare guards and completely eradicate the nightmare monument; second, defeat the core of the nightmare and shrink its nightmare energy; third, use special alchemical creations to seal and isolate the nightmare energy.”
< br>The Duke suddenly looked disappointed.
Even a hint of despair.
Jilan caught the other person’s expression and comforted:
"The Duke has evacuated the people around the mine. Even if the nightmare is still spreading, the support from the royal court should be able to handle the matter before subsequent casualties and losses occur."
Hawkes The prince fell into a long silence.
Finally, he sighed.
"Sir, I'm sorry... Actually, I hid something from you during dinner."
The Duke was quite frustrated, leaning back on the sofa, smoking a depressed cigar.
"Actually, my eldest son was not 'sacrificed'... At that time, I created a scam to hide it from the 'Scar Church' and let him survive."
Hearing this, Jilan has All understood.
He seemed to have figured out why Duke Hawkes had such a big reaction.
"Could it be that, Duke, your eldest son happened to be affected by the disaster of nightmare energy?"
Gilan narrowed his eyes and asked.
Duke Hawkes smiled bitterly.
"Yes...he is a peace officer under my command, and he does not know his true identity."
"Now, he is still trapped in the mine, life and death. Unknown.”
Gillen immediately thought of the “Sheriff Cuole” the Duke mentioned during the dinner.
Obviously, this person is the eldest son of the Duke, Carlo.
It's no wonder that when the Duke heard about the "Nightmare Monument" outbreak, he would be the first to ask about this person's situation.
Purely instinctive.
"Mr. Gillan, I have kept this secret for more than ten years..."
Duke Hawkes' fingers were trembling, and his cigar had long ash and clumps scattered around it.
“I implore you, can you think of another way.”
"If you can rescue Kallaw, I, Hawkes Barbaroche, will never forget this friendship!"
Ding!
A clear and familiar voice suddenly sounded in Jilan's ears.
He knew that this was the "Golden Lament" mission being triggered.
“Trigger task: Stop the nightmare.”
"When you first arrived in the Stuttgart Empire, you stayed in the Dukedom of Hawks, the elder of the royal court, but you encountered the 'Nightmare Monument' disaster that suddenly occurred in the territory's mine."
"Hawkes· Barbaroche told you the secret that you had concealed for many years. His subordinate, Sheriff Kuole, is actually the eldest son Carlao who escaped from the 'Glorious Ceremony' and is currently trapped in the Rude Mine, his life and death unknown."
" He implores you to rescue Kuole."
"Time limit: 12 hours"
"Reward: Moderate improvement in gnosis, spirituality, and body (choose one of three)."
Ji Lan glanced at the colorful words that appeared in front of him and said to himself:
‘Accept. ’
Ding!
The words dispersed.
"Duke Hawkes, let me give it a try."
Jilan pretended to be deep in thought and said slowly.
Hearing this, the gray-haired Duke looked happy.
"Just say whatever Mr. Gillan needs, whether it's manpower or supplies..."
"No need." Gillan waved his hand. "The Level 3 Nightmare Monument is so dangerous that ordinary people will definitely die if they approach it. Not only will it not help, it will also be a hindrance."
"The Duke will send someone to prepare a carriage to take me to the mine."
"Sir, you...are going alone?"
Duke Hawks was startled.
Gilan smiled and did not answer.
The Duke obviously did not know him comprehensively. He only knew that he was a senior member of the mysterious investigation committee, but did not know that his position was the head of the "Gravedigger".
He is professional in dealing with "Night Monument".
"I'll go with sir."
Duke Hawks gritted his teeth and stood up.
Jilan did not refuse and followed the other party out of the study.
Then, the Duke asked the butler to prepare a carriage urgently, and the two of them rode together and went straight to the Rude Mine.
There is no moon tonight, only a little light.
The carriage galloped on the dim road, and after more than half an hour, it arrived at the outskirts of its destination.
As soon as Jilan got out of the car, Gnzhi started to warn.
He unfolded his spiritual vision, and a thick, twisted scarlet mist instantly came into his "eyes".
Not far ahead, there is a half-excavated hill. There are some machinery and trailers placed around the bumpy road.
The environment is completely silent.
Soon, an army of hundreds of people rushed over.
Duke Hawks stepped forward and chatted with the leader to understand the situation.
At this time, Gilan looked at the red mist in the air and said without looking back:
"Duke Hawks, the nightmare is still spreading. You'd better lead someone to fight again." "Stay some distance away."
The Duke is just an ordinary person and has no spiritual vision. After hearing what Gillan said, he had to take a deep breath and order to stay away.
But before leaving, he asked Jilan in a deep voice:
"Sir, what are you going to do?"
"This is just a purely diplomatic visit, and I did not bring any relevant equipment with me. ”
Gilan shook his head.
“We can only venture in first to see the situation.”
"You... must be careful."
Duke Hawkes was quite moved and said quickly.
Gilan nodded.
Then, under the watchful eyes of the Duke and many guards, he walked toward the dark mine alone.
After a while.
Ji Lan walked in from the entrance of the temporary mine frame and shuttled through the dark corridor with his strong night vision ability.
No one can be seen here.
Jilan sighed secretly.
Anyone who is killed by the nightmare energy and dies in the nightmare will have their real body disappear and turn into nourishment to be swallowed up by the "Nightmare Monument".
It can be seen that several hours have passed since the outbreak of nightmare energy, and there are very few survivors in this mine.
However, the mission did not indicate failure, which proves that Kuole is not dead yet...
(End of this chapter)