Alien Knights

The residents of Muxi Town have been discussing several things recently.

The first thing is that in the fourth month after the official establishment of Muxi Town, according to the statistics of various trade unions and residential area associations, the population of the town officially exceeded 700, which is already the largest town in the western coastal area of ​​the Silver Ring Kingdom.

The second thing is that people have recently discovered that whether Father Todd is preaching in a church, resting in a garden, or blowing a breeze by the sea, there is always a knight with a big sword on his back and an iron mask on his face.

Call it a guard, but it doesn't quite look like it. In the daily conversation between the two, Todd would always use words such as "Don't follow me" and "Don't you have anywhere else to go?", refusing to follow the knight. Therefore, it is believed that the priest does not want to see this man.

It is impossible to say that it is an enemy. The knight just followed the priest every day, and didn't see him doing anything else. Moreover, when someone mentioned this matter to Huggins, who was in charge of the town's defense, the other party always talked about him.

The third thing is still related to Todd. I don't know which nerve the priest made a mistake. He actually bought a batch of things that only the nobles would entertain--pet rats from the peddler. These little white guys can only be watched but not eaten, and they can't work in the fields. They are all used for the children of noble families to feed and play. No one knows why the priest spends this unreasonable money.

At this time, Todd was in the laboratory, busy with the upcoming experiments, and had no time to pay attention to the rumors outside. The time bomb that could detonate in his body at any time forced him to put the investigation of the mutation of the "Sutherland Relic" as the top priority of his current work.

The mice he bought were not for ornamental use, but for the stress test of Sutherland bacteria.

The general process is to inject the mixed liquid of four kinds of bacteria in the body into the body of the mice to observe the possible physiological changes.

The reason why the mouse is used is that the gene sequence of the mouse in the mouse is similar to that of a human, and its whole genome is about 98% similar to that of a human.

The second is because it is convenient to cultivate and the quantity is sufficient. Pathological experiments require a large number of test subjects for statistical analysis, which requires artificial breeding of a certain number of test subjects.

The third is because of low cost. It only costs five bronze stars to buy a mouse, which consumes less feed, is not picky about food, and does not take up space.

As for other preparations for the experiment, the bacterial samples are ready-made and can be propagated in petri dishes at any time. The anesthetic is ether, obtained by dehydrating alcohol with concentrated sulfuric acid.

After completing the above preparations, Todd still has one last crucial thing left, and he has to find a way to get it.

Leave the laboratory and walk into the church in Muxi Town. Although this is the priest's workplace, every time he comes here, Todd always marvels at this prayer place built by immigrants.

In the main hall of the church, there were already many people who were praying. When they saw the appearance of the priest, they all stood up to pay tribute.

Todd signaled everyone to sit down with both hands, and focused on the two figures sitting together in the back row.

Alfonso and Huggins.

Todd clearly knew that if he was busy in the laboratory, the former would definitely wait in the church, which had become a tacit understanding between the two.

The latter, as the head of the Muxi Town Guard, Todd has not seen him for quite a long time. It was said that he conducted intensive training for the guards of the town not far from Muxi Town, in case of emergency.

But these two people sat together and talked like old friends, which Todd hadn't expected.

Seeing the priest approaching, Huggins guessed that the person the other party was looking for was not himself, so he interrupted the conversation with Alfonso and voluntarily stepped aside.

Todd gave him a grateful look, sat next to Alfonso, and said his request straight to the point: "Your Excellency De Cavo, I have something to ask."

The knight turned his body slightly, but did not speak.

Knowing that silence is the other party's habit of listening, Todd lowered his voice: "I hope to borrow someone from you, who will play a vital role in the research of the relic."

"who?"

"Your squire, Walton."

Alfonso nodded. He knew that since Todd spoke, he must have a good reason.

Seeing the knight turn and leave the church, Huggins, who had been waiting aside from just now, approached Todd and whispered, "About Alfonso, I want to talk to you."

The two came to the confessional of the church, and Huggins told Todd a long-lost past.

"Alfonso and I originally belonged to the Knights of the Silver Ring Kingdom and were loyal to the Silver Ring Royal Family. We have been fighting side by side since apprentice knights, fighting against the barbarians in the north for six years." Huggins said with his hands crossed in gloves, praying to the cross in front of him.

When Todd heard this, he remembered the strange behavior of the two when they were fighting the northern pirates, and suddenly understood the reason. He asked, "Later, Alfonso changed from a secular knight to a church knight. What happened?"

Huggins looked into the distance, as if recalling the memories of the past, and said in a desolate tone: "It starts with his family. Alfonso de Cavo originally had a beautiful wife and a pair of healthy children. His wife couldn't get sick because her husband had been away for a long time, tired of family affairs and had hidden diseases. After that, Alfonso sought medical treatment everywhere. Finally, one day, a traveler who claimed to be from the east gave him a copper pipe, claiming that the things inside could save his wife... "

Todd took a breath, and interrupted Huggins unconsciously: "Brass pipe? You mean..."

"That's right, there are Sutherland relics inside." Huggins closed his eyes and sighed heavily: "At that time, Alfonso, who was desperate, had to use the copper tube with the mentality of trying. As a result, his wife's illness was really cured, but unfortunately the good times didn't last long..."

"The Sutherland relic turned his wife into a monster..."

Hearing Todd's words, Huggins said in surprise: "He said this to you?!"

"No, not all of them, just some of them. What happened later?"

The man's eyes were fixed on the cross: "One night about half a year later, his wife turned into a monster and killed two children with her own hands. Alfonso, who drove home, killed his wife in grief and despair... After that, he donated all his property to the church and became a judge who hunted and killed alien species..."

Todd gasped, and suddenly he remembered something: "Wait a minute! When you brought me back to the monastery, did you know that I would become a monster?"

Huggins immediately shook his head: "No, I didn't know that at the time. The fact that Sutherland's successor will eventually turn into a monster is a hidden part of the church's history, and most people don't know about it. It was only after I kept asking that Alfonso told me the whole story today."

The man turned his face to Todd: "The reason why I tell you these things is because if you can solve the mystery of the successor turning into a monster, you will not only be able to save yourself, but you may also be able to save a heart imprisoned by pain and self-blame."