Duke Udolf stood on the wall of the inner castle. Because it was already night, there were no pedestrians on the street. Before dusk, the open space in front of the inner castle gate was crowded with people watching. The huge iron cage placed on the carriage, with various weapons inserted between the iron railings, and the iron cage was like a rock. This scene was extremely strange, with a mysterious sense of ritual, which reminded Duke Udolf of his dead father.

The last Duke of Golden Waterfall was addicted to alchemy before his death. Until he died, there was a bitter smell in the inner castle. A gust of wind blew the bloody smell of the monster in the iron cage. Duke Udolf seemed to have tasted the bitter taste again. Alchemy is a deceptive. Duke Udolf told himself that there is no medicine for resurrection, nor is there an elixir of immortality. At least I thought so before. Now that magic is back, the monsters emerge from the soil, slaughter my people, and now there is still a city to destroy me.

"Sir, it's windy and winter is coming. Is it better to go back to the castle?" The loyal Pavre said to Udolf. He was fully armed today. Since that night, Pavre had hardly taken off his armor. The iron armor was painted with orange paint representing their family, and the coat was covered with yellow burqa representing the Golden Waterfalls. He seemed to be a general who would go to war at any time, but in fact, the same is true. War will come at any time.

Duke Udolf is wearing a thick yellow cloak and cooked leather armor lined with rhinoceros skin. The armor made of this rare animal leather is thick and tough, and cannot be pierced by ordinary crossbows, and it is lighter than iron armor. Even the weak Duke Udolf can wear it. Pavre knew that this was the relic of Duke Udolf's brother.

The Duke turned and walked towards the door to the inner castle. It was a thick iron door, painted as white as the wall, with braziers on both sides, and guards guarded. "Pavre," asked Udolf, who was walking in front of him, his voice was a little dull, and his cough became worse after Miss Kadiya's incident, "What do you think of the mercenary's proposal?"

The mercenary refers to the mercenary who put the trolls in an iron cage and sent them to the gate of the inner castle city. He called himself Anthony. He acted like a scholar and said that he wanted to pay homage to the duke and offer a plan to defend the Golden Waterfall City. Lord Udolf heard that the mercenary had already followed him when the corpse of the first troll was sent to the research room of the inner castle. It was he who discovered that the troll was not dead - or according to scholars, the troll was dead and came alive again.

Duke Udolf threw his disdain for the mercenaries aside. After all, he had just been saved by two mercenaries - two women. Although Duke Udolf was reluctant to admit it and his guards regarded this as a shame, the mercenaries did have an unexpected effect. So Udolf met Anthony.

"An interesting man, sir," Pavre replied respectfully, "and according to my investigation, that man seemed to have a certain reputation among the mercenaries. Although not all mercenaries knew him, most mercenaries knew a man named 'Drake', and this Drake seemed to be the surname of Anthony."

"Drake?" Duke Udolph frowned, "I have never heard of this last name."

"Yes, sir, I have also asked scholars. They also said that there is definitely no last name in the kingdom today, but they also said that this may be a lost ancient surname." Pavre replied.

"I know, keep talking." Duke Udolf nodded slightly.

"What he said is indeed worthy," Pavre affirmed at first, "as a mercenary, he is indeed very visionary." Pavre paused, and then continued, "but he was too timid, and this was rarely seen in the mercenary."

Duke Udolf nodded again, but did not reply, and the two walked into the inner castle like this. The thick walls blocked the cold wind of the iron gatekeeper's cold winter night. The corridor of the inner castle was as cold as it was, and the smell of smoke was filled. The two did not slow down, but continued to walk towards the Duke's study.

"He underestimated the courage of our army. If he ordered the soldiers to retreat into the city walls as he requested, it would inevitably affect their morale. They would feel that we were afraid to fight those monsters." Pavre replied in a deep voice.

"That's what you think?" Duke Udolf turned his head and looked at Pavre behind him.

"Yes, sir."

"Pavre, have you ever faced those monsters?" Duke Udolf asked after sighing.

"No, sir," he replied truthfully, "but trust me with courage, I will not retreat in front of those monsters."

"You just said that there are few timid mercenaries?" Duke Udolf asked again.

"Yes, sir, they can sacrifice their lives for the sake of gold coins. This is the responsibility of the mercenary. Sword-swalking Snake gave them greed." Pavre replied in a deep voice.

"It was these greedy people who saved me when my guard captain was not by my side," Duke Udolf looked at Pavre's face. His greedy people opened their mouths to say something, but finally lowered their heads in shame. "It was these greedy people who faced the monster twice and defeated them both times. The first time they gave me the monster's corpse, and the second time they captured the monster alive and sent it to my city gate."

"Have you ever seen that thing, Captain of the Guard?" the Duke asked again.

"Yes, sir, I looked from a distance."

"Have you seen it?" the Duke asked.

Pavre had no answer.

"That's a monster, Pavre, an absolute monster, not a beast, not a robber, but something we have never faced before." The Duke said calmly and seriously, "You don't even dare to come forward to watch. How can you guarantee that the soldiers will fight them head-on?! Half of them are untrained farmers! They grew up listening to the stories of giant monsters eating people. Do you dare to say that they have never been afraid?!"

"But sir..." Pavre wanted to refute something, but in the end he didn't say it. He really didn't dare to go up and face the monster. Even if it was locked in a cage, this was a problem that Pavre realized for a long time after seeing the iron cage. Why didn't I go up and take a good look at this enemy? He was surprised by it after leaving the iron cage.

It turned out that it was because of fear. Although the captain of the guard was unwilling to admit it, it was indeed caused by fear. Without even realizing it, fear made him subconsciously avoid it.

"How many plans do you think are the mercenaries' plans to be desirable?" the Duke asked while the captain of the guard thought. At this time, they had already arrived at the door of the Duke's study. A servant was waiting there for a long time. He pushed open the door and let the two of them walk in.

The fireplace in the room was lit, and the cup of light illuminated the ground. The servant followed them into the study, and quickly lit the lanterns for lighting around them. The room slowly lit up. The warm air with the smell of smoke made Pavre feel a little relieved. He was ashamed of his stupidity and fear just now, but he calmed down immediately. What the Duke needed was not my shame, but wisdom.

"It's feasible, sir." Pavre told the truth, "If the entire army is ordered to cut down wood and build the city-defense equipment immediately, maybe the defense line can be arranged before the general attack of the giant monster army!"

"Very good." The Duke finally nodded with satisfaction. He looked at Pavre, "This matter is fully left to you to deal with. It is related to the survival of Golden Waterfalls, Pavre." The Duke's heavy gaze made Pavre lower his head.

"I will definitely live up to my expectations!" Pavre said firmly. Although he actually had no idea in his heart, he could not care about so much. The warrior should do this. Pavre remembered that his father once told him that the warrior tied his head to his belt, and that the warrior should not be blocked by fear and anxiety.

The Duke nodded and reached out to pat Pavre's shoulders wearing armor.

At this time, the servant walked in and said, "Please forgive me, General Plain asked for a visit."

"Pavre, go and tell him to let him in." The Duke said lightly, pointing to his servant, "Stay behind and bring me a glass of bitter wine." Then he walked towards the desk and sat down behind the fossil wood desk.

"Yes, sir." Both the servant and Pavre replied with their heads down, and then the servant walked towards the wine cabinet, and Pavre walked towards the exit.

Soon Plain followed Pavre into the study. To the surprise of the Duke of Udolph, his son Mdolph also came with Plain.

"Duke," Plain bowed his head and saluted. He immediately reported to Duke Udolf without any nonsense, "There are a large number of craftsmen who claim to be from Stone Fort outside the northwest gate."

The Duke of Udolf raised his head and looked at Pavre. They all knew about it. The mercenary named Anthony told them that the craftsmen were the main men who built the equipment they were rushing to defend the city. "But according to your instructions, the mercenaries from the south may have carried the plague, so the guardians placed them in the mercenary camp under the northeast wall."

"I understand." Duke Udolf nodded.

"There is also that Lord Barovif has ordered his Iron Chain Knights to evacuate the old logging farm outside the city. They have also escorted a group of craftsmen and guards who escaped from the frontline fortress. The news that the frontline fortress was broken by the monsters has spread in the military camp." Plain's news made Pavre look surprised.

"Is it true when I say that news?" Duke Udolf nodded. Although he had heard that some people had escaped from the north and said that the monsters had broken through the fortress like crazy. Although most people didn't believe it, the Duke had already prepared mentally. However, when the news was really conveyed, it made him feel angry. Did my decision make those people wrong? Did my decision kill those people in vain? Although he doubted this, he didn't have more time to worry about it at this moment.

"I'll leave it to you for the resettlement of those people." Duke Udolf said to Plain impatiently.

"Yes, sir." Plain replied with his head down, but apparently his report was not finished yet, "Sir, there is one last thing..."

"Tell me." Duke Udolf took the bitter wine handed over by his servant and took a sip.

"About yesterday's earthquake, some houses in the old city were seriously damaged, and some strange rumors began to spread among the civilians..."

"Since it's a rumor, don't pay attention to it." Duke Udolf frowned and said.

"Yes, sir, I thought so too, but..." Plain paused. He looked at the Duke's face and finally plucked up the courage to say, "This rumor is related to Miss Kadiya."

The wine glass in the duke's hand was placed on the table, and the sound of heavy metal and fossil wood collisions seemed particularly loud in the room. "Tell me," the duke said coldly.

"Yes." Plain lowered his head and avoided his gaze. "This is what I heard from the market," he stressed. "It is said among the common people that Miss Kadiya had committed adultery with the devil..."

"Absurd!" The Duke slapped heavily on the table, and the wine glass was knocked over and the green bitter wine inside was spilled out. People saw the Duke's face turned red, and then he coughed violently.

"Father!" Mdolph hurried forward and patted his back and calmed down.

Duke Udolf, who was flushed with coughing, raised his eyes, and a cold sweat dripped from Plain's forehead, but after the Duke stopped coughing, he spit out three words from his teeth and said, "Continue!"

"Yes, sir!" Plain swallowed, lowered his head, "The rumor said that Miss Kadiya's actions angered the gods, and the gods cursed the lady, and the earthquakes and monsters were sent by the gods to punish Miss Kadiya's crimes, only Miss Gang..."

"Enough!" the Duke shouted angrily, and Plain immediately shut up.

He took a long time to take a deep breath, then looked at Pavre, "What do you think?" His voice contained a cold rage, which forced Pavre to treat it with caution.

"Someone must have leaked the matter about the lady." Pavre told his thoughts truthfully.

Then Pavre looked at Mdolph, who also felt the anger in his father's eyes. "Is it a mercenary?" he asked directly to his son.

Mdolph immediately walked away from the Duke, then walked to Plain's side and lowered his head: "Father, I'm willing to guarantee that it's not them."

Duke Udolf did not delve into it, and then he looked at Plain, "Is it the one in the inner castle?"

"Sir, this matter has been strictly prohibited from being discussed. The servants do not have the courage to disobey your orders." Plain replied sincerely.

"Captain Pavre!" Duke Udolf looked at his captain.

"Yes, sir." Pavre immediately knelt down on one knee.

"I order you to investigate this matter strictly. You must tell the person who spreads rumors to catch it, pull out his tongue, and hang it on the gate of the inner castle, so that these foolish people can see the consequences of challenging the majesty of the Prins!" said the Duke coldly.

"yes!"

No one dared to object, because they all knew that the Duke's anger was not something they could quell.

...

In the dungeon, Anthony followed Meka, and they were able to enter here at will with an investigation order. The dungeons in the inner castle were dug out of the rocks, just like the tombs of the church, but they were not so barbaric when they were laid on neatly built stone bricks. However, the cells were in the cell, and the smell of mold and feces were always filled with. The jailers were drunkards. They threw the sinners into the cell and stopped paying attention. Only the noisy and quarrels would attract their attention.

"They are all dirty rats!" The drunk old jailer Tolu said to the two of them, "We are not the Duke. He is responsible for the trial and we are responsible for the prisoners! As long as they are sent here, it means they have problems! This is our... hiccup! Responsibility!"

Old Tolu had a little complaint about the two of them because they pulled him away from the lit brazier, when he was drinking and gambling with his companions.

"How is that maid?" Meka asked while enduring the stinking smell of Old Tolu.

"How is it? The girl only knew how to cry after coming in! She was worried about our brothers! Who made her a celebrity around the lady? If the lady hadn't specially ordered us to take care of her, her clothes might have been stripped naked!" Old Tolu said a dirty laugh, "But we don't really dare to do this. Except for those who are definitely going to be hanged, we will not move those who still have the chance to go out. We still have a bottom line."

Anthony and Meca did not comment on this, and Anthony also saw a disdainful smile on Meca's face.

"What kind of thing do you think she belongs?" Anthony asked.

Old Tolu held his eyes in his eyes, which had a significant change in his attitude towards a beauty like Meka, but fortunately he still answered Anthony. "I think she is the kind of dying. Our Duke is very strict! Nine out of ten people locked up by him will be hanged, and the other one will just be hanged a little later." After saying this, Old Tolu immediately explained, "I'm not saying bad things about our Duke! A strict lord is a good thing! This will turn Jin Falls into a civilized place! People will obey the law honestly, instead of emptying their minds to commit crimes and getting something for nothing!"

Meka nodded. While they were talking, they had already reached the door of the maids. They had passed several cells before, and there were two types of atmospheres in the cell. One was a separate cell with its own wooden door, and the other was even more simple, with only iron railings and three cold stone walls. Most civilians were imprisoned in the simple cell behind, while the important criminals, noble criminals or extremely dangerous criminals were imprisoned in the separate cell. The maid was imprisoned in the separate cell.

Old Tolu took the key from his waist, "You have a good chat with her, this little pitiful eyes are swollen from crying." After saying that, Old Tolu shrugged, Anthony could not see any sympathy between his eyebrows. After opening the door, Old Tolu stepped aside, "You'd better hurry up, it's cold here." As he said that, he leaned against the wall with his hands folded his hands and whistled.

Anthony took the lead in lifting the lantern and walked into the cell. A candle was lit inside, but the light of the inferior candle did not pay attention to illuminating the entire cell. Anthony saw a figure curled up in the darkness next to the candle, and a stinking smell filled the cell.

"Who is it?" asked a voice hoarse from crying.

"My name is Anthony," Anthony said, making his voice sound as gentle as possible, "I'm here to help you."

"Help me?" the maid asked suspiciously.

"Tell us," Meka walked out from behind Anthony with a lantern, "Tell us the details of that night, so that maybe we can save your life."

"You are..." As the maid stood up with the wall, Anthony found that she seemed to be difficult for her to stand firm, "You are..."

She walked in slowly, then seemed to have difficulty seeing Meka's face, and then showed a surprised expression: "You are the wizard lady that night!"

At the Duke's banquet, Meka showed her face. Perhaps most people remembered that night. In the darkness, she raised her staff and used the powerful light to temporarily dispel the darkness. But is this really the case? Meka felt a little strange, but she couldn't say it.

"It's me." Meka nodded, then reached out and held the maid's hands. The maid subconsciously wanted to retract her hands, but she grabbed it. The maid's hands were extremely cold.

"Tell me what happened that night," Meka said softly, "so that I can help you get out of here."

"Really?" The maid widened her eyes, and under the light of the lantern, her eyes seemed to have tears, "Is this true?"

"But you must make sure you tell the truth." Anthony whispered.

"Oh! I promise, I swear in the name of the gods!" said the maid excitedly, "I will tell you everything I see!"
Chapter completed!