Steampunk Era: Mad Abield
Chapter 808: Section 543: Me at This Moment (Part One)

Chapter 808: Section 543: Me at This Moment (Part One)

King Manheim had been informed of the incident at Chaofeng Tower just ten minutes later. As he was enjoying his lunch, he glanced at the Hagelberry family’s old hound, who showed no expression upon hearing the news, as if everything was expected, much like their family’s cooperative firearms workshop with Lord Malin.

The Hagelberry family, Great Craftsman Antoine, and Lord Malin, the only exceptional existence—rumor had it that the Artisans’ Guild was discussing the creation of a new title for Malin.

Master of the Divine Craft—yes, that’s how impressive it was.

But...

"Lord Hagelberry, one of my Marshals has died, so many major Merchants in the city are dead, won’t you say something?" King Manheim, seated at the head of the table, addressed his subject.

The latter looked up, his old blurry eyes staring at his King: "Your Majesty, isn’t this a good thing."

Yes, a good thing, but could you not overact it, please? Everyone in Copenhagen now knows that your new son-in-law has Spiritual Medicine made from the flesh and bones of zombies. Who are you trying to fool with your feigned senility?

King Manheim complained inwardly, while also having to respond: "How could it be, they were all my subjects."

"They hoarded goods, manipulated the market, flour, cotton fabric, cotton, nearly everything related to the livelihood of the people was under their control. Your Majesty, don’t you think this is bad?" After saying this, the old Hagelberry lowered his head and began cutting the steak in front of him, his hands holding the knife and fork firmly and cutting the meat with slow, deliberate movements, contrasting his supposedly poor eyesight.

His Majesty could only let out a sigh in the end: "Then, whom do you think did it?"

"It wasn’t my son-in-law for sure; he’s ruthless in business but an honest and loyal man. He might drive a family to death in the business world, but he would never kill an innocent human with his own hands," old Hagelberry spoke, then lifted his head to look at his King with eyes full of vitality: "What do you think, Your Majesty? I believe you must share the same thoughts."

"Yes, otherwise, I wouldn’t have entrusted my youngest child to him, given the intelligence we’ve got, unless circumstances were desperate," Manheim was referring to the time when Malin and the Giant Duke fought against Chaos in the South and executed some fleeing Nobles in the process.

According to their collected information, he owns Spirits as pets, but everyone knows that the Spirits are native beings. His animal companions, each one extraordinary, have been tamed by Lord Malin; the leopard has now become the Guardian of hunters across the Carterburg area, and some even worship it; the giant bear acts like a kindergarten teacher with hundreds of children climbing over it each day; his hawk has been acknowledged as the protective deity of Farol Principality; regarding his latest boar pet... aside from its huge appetite, nothing much was wrong, it’s now even tilling the land under the Goddess of Harvest Church’s supervision.

As for his companion from a different kind... although someone witnessed it with an Octagram on its forehead, casting various Spell Formations, and even with sharp teeth all around, given that Malin is a dual champion chosen by the Gods, some minor details do not need to be discussed—just look at the four World Tree Saplings Malin has, his little pets are nothing in comparison.

Regarding Chaos and the different kind, Lord Malin detests such things deeply. He experienced Chaos’s onslaught at a young age, and since then, his life has been a constant battle against Chaos, slaughtering an entire Black Orc warband in the South, his workshop backing the whole continent in the fight against Chaos.

No one has heard of him killing at random, those few times could be counted on one hand, and in Manheim’s eyes, Malin was justified in each case.

In fact, in Manheim’s eyes, if these disloyal traitors died, so be it; he could easily turn a blind eye to the matter.

Even more so, if they were indeed killed by Lord Malin, considering that Malin helped him, a King pressed by multiple sides and incapable of any significant achievements, to rid the nation of parasites he had long wanted to remove, then why not play the blind man just this once as the King of the Manheim family.

With these thoughts, the King of the Northern Kingdom raised the wine glass beside him: "Lord Hagelberry, I hope our officers will soon find the murderer."

Hearing this, the old Hagelberry smiled and raised his glass too: "May the officers quench the thirst for justice with the murderer’s blood on behalf of my Marshal, the gentlemen parliamentarians, and the citizens."

......

Standing at the scene, Officer Goldhatch of Jinhe City wiped his glasses for the seventh time—he had been a police officer for many years, seeing countless cases, but today was the only time in his life he wished he weren’t a police officer.

The entire scene was riddled with traces of Spiritual Energy, and the untouched corpses scattered around, embellishing the space with a surreal landscape akin to hell—on his left hand, sitting on the chair was the renowned Mr. Ash Geller, leader of Copenhagen’s cotton industry, who had strangled himself with a thick cotton cloth.

On Officer Goldhatch’s right hand, lying in bed was the unicorn of Copenhagen’s fish market, the biggest underworld force of the docks, the Black Fish Gang’s mastermind, Councillor Donald Leonard, who died by cutting his wrists, held the dinner knife in his right hand to sever his entire left wrist, then placed the severed wrist on the large bowl in front of him.