Werewolf hunting rules

Night fell quickly, and Clayton hadn't even been able to talk to Padre Lewis yet.

They went to church, but Padre Louis was the only priest in town at present, and as soon as the townspeople regained their composure, they selected a few exceptionally strong and trustworthy men to protect him from outsiders.

Clayton and Julius were still waiting near the church, and were soon told to return to their temporary accommodation and not go out. In desperation, they had no choice but to return to the hotel again.

Snowflakes were falling from the sky, and they saw many familiar faces on the way back.

The group of people who had just gone out to see the priest out of town were deemed safe and reliable. The men among them formed patrol teams, in groups of several households, holding torches and pitchforks, or shotguns and bows and arrows, searching back and forth on the streets. He was so determined to pull out that damn werewolf and beat him to death.

Although he knew that they were not targeting him, Clayton couldn't help but feel guilty when he saw such a large formation.

After deciding that the "beast" was not just a beast, but a shape-shifter that could blend into the crowd, the townspeople made sufficient preparations. They gathered in groups and erected huge crosses in the streets and squares before night really came. Wooden stakes, drizzled with grease and lit, flaming holy symbols were literally everywhere, the early snow on the ground glistened in the firelight, and the fluttering flakes melted at mere proximity.

There is light everywhere, and this form makes it impossible for monsters to hide even at night.

Some traditional coping methods hidden in superstitions and customs are being activated at this moment. People are panicking but looking at this crisis with excitement.

Except for the selected defenders, everyone else was ordered to stop going out on the streets, even those at work, and must stay at home to wait for the next order from the elders or priests.

Clayton and the other guests at the inn had to stay indoors, and it was the first time that he saw other guests besides Chude's master and servant.

The two guests were sitting at the same table, both wearing round felt hats. Their clothes were mainly lightweight thin sweaters, without coats, and the thin sweaters were dyed with many colors. They seemed to be doing something that required concentration, but they were all irritated by the sudden interruption. After complaining for a while, they cut the sausages on the plate and ate them boredly in the hotel.

Clayton walked over and said hello, his tone relaxed.

"Good evening, you two. It seems that you are also a painter? Just like Mr. Osmar next door?"

He originally wanted to find Ian to understand the results of the investigation, but the other party dispersed with other townspeople after hearing the howl of the wolf, leaving him very helpless.

The two strange guests looked at each other and nodded. The one sitting on the left asked back.

"How did you know?"

The lieutenant smiled: "I have also studied a little painting, so I know what kind of painting will stain the clothes."

Except for the paint on their clothes, their fingers and wrists were thick and strong, their eyes were bright, but the muscles of their necks and shoulders were very stiff. Apart from being a painter, he couldn't think of any professions that would create such a body.

Both painters laughed too.

"You have good eyesight. We came to work in Gévaux at the invitation of the priest."

"To restore the frescoes in the chapel?" Clayton asked.

They nodded without hesitation: "This is the only kind of job in a small town. Although the pay is average, the job is respectable."

Clayton gave a knowing expression.

"This is indeed good. Are Mr. Osmar and you together?"

"He is not." The painter who answered him denied it and then added: "He did come here to find a job before, a little earlier than us. However, his servant is too fat and cannot paint, so he is not qualified to be an assistant in the restoration of murals. job, so the priest finally gave the job to us.”

"So that's it."

Clayton pretended to be devoted to being taught, silently praised the other's skills several times, and then took advantage of the opportunity to chat with the two painters.

The antique dealer's business is very broad. In fact, the lieutenant prefers to call himself a dealer in rare items. He can get involved in any business that is slightly valuable. Talking to these painters can not only understand the popularity of different painting schools, but also learn A little experience in identifying fakes.

Julius waited impatiently beside him. He hoped that Clayton would be more interested in lifting the fog of doom instead of chatting with strangers here. But he also knew that there wasn't much they could do right now.

Pei Lun, the young owner of the hotel, was sitting behind the counter and was worried. He was missing a waiter and the cook was locked up at home. Today's dinner was cooked by him for the guests. Fortunately, there were not many guests tonight, and the entire first floor of the hotel was There were only five people, and it was extremely deserted.

After worrying for a long time, he finally made up his mind, took out his ancestral two-handed sword, and then sat down at the guest table with the sword in his arms.

There were some sheep in the backyard, but those lowly animals couldn't give him a sense of security.

Clayton caught a glimpse of his movements from the corner of his eye, and couldn't help but reach out to his waist to check the old man with his gun in the holster.

But to be honest, after thinking about it, the lieutenant believed that the 'beast' that was raging in Gevo was not a werewolf.

Today is not a full moon, so the werewolf can shut up and eat. It would be unnecessary to reveal his identity through wolf howling, unless he is showing off his power in this stupid way.

The townspeople thought that the cry belonged to a werewolf, purely because they believed that the patrol had completely surrounded the town's perimeter and no foreign beasts would break in, so they blamed it on the shapeshifters who could disguise themselves as humans.

But everyone has ignored the possibility that the wolf howl above Jevo may be caused by humans and has nothing to do with the 'beast'.

Of course, this is just a guess by the lieutenant. He has not learned war cries, so he cannot criticize the meaning of wolf howls from a linguistic perspective. However, he has watched several operas and the skills of those popular singers amazed him. Therefore, he knew that such a loud voice was something humans could do after training.

The best outcome is that the wolf howl came from someone's silly prank, and the martial law will end soon.

This is not impossible. There was once a fool who burned down the greatest library of the entire era just to leave his name in history.

Clayton sincerely hopes that the townspeople can find out the truth soon, and he is anxious to see Padre Lewis.

Another hour later, the town’s alarm bell rang again.

Sitting in the hotel, they saw the firelight moving outside the window, followed by the loud announcement of the patrol.

"Everyone, everyone! Elder Bipp and Father Lewis are calling you! All gather in the square in front of the church. Everyone must go!"

The hotel door was forced open, and three men with guns guarded the door, telling them to get out.

Pei Lun asked them to go out first, and he went upstairs to remind Chu De and Kuo Ke, the master and servant.

The lieutenant and others waited downstairs for a short time before they came down together. However, Clayton was a little surprised and dissatisfied when he saw Chude's burnt face, and he didn't understand what was happening in the town at all. misfortune.

His servant Kuo Ke was very quiet and calm, as if following Chu De would allow him to gain extraordinary wisdom and enlightenment.

This pair of master and servant almost never go out, and they are still in a daze at the moment.

They followed the patrol to the square in front of the church, where many people were already standing and waiting.

In the middle of the square stood a huge burning cross, which illuminated the entire square.

The crowd gathered together in the light of the fire and started chatting while waiting. It was lively but also noisy. On the periphery of the crowd were militiamen with weapons in full formation. They stared closely at the crowd, but their guns were still pointed straight into the sky.

The two most experienced and eldest elders in the town and the priest Louis stood on a high platform composed of multiple wooden cargo boxes, with people standing next to them holding torches to light them.

One of the elders raised his hand and shook the bell to quiet them down, and solemnly announced the current situation.

"Everyone, for the past month, a wild beast has been wreaking havoc in Gève, killing our livestock and destroying our property, and we have been unable to do anything about it. We have never even seen its tail. But this time, it exposed itself. ourselves, allowing us to find an opportunity to judge it.”

"This afternoon, our priest left the town in order to escort the wounded. The beast thought that his time had come, and actually screamed in the town like a wild dog demarcating its territory. But it didn't realize that it was just the right time to howl in excitement. The identity of the werewolf was revealed.”

"If some other beast with a wolf-like cry sneaks into town, won't our guard dogs be able to detect its scent and be indifferent to it?"

"In past attacks, the victim's dogs hardly barked, or only barked once or twice, especially the Jarvis family's Peel, whose loyalty is well known and even dared to fight the flying dragon for the safety of its owner. . But before the calf at home was eaten and wiped clean, it didn't make a sound. And maybe some people still remember that in those ancient stories passed down from elders from generation to generation, werewolves have the ability to command wolves and dogs. This is also The reason why they can succeed so often at night.”

The elder's inference was well-founded, and Clayton's original thoughts were somewhat convinced.

He saw a man walking to the edge of the table and handing over a shining silver candlestick, and he immediately understood what they were going to do.

The elder took the candlestick and held it up: "Werewolves usually change into human form. Maybe it is among us, so everyone needs to do a test. We know that these monsters hiding in the dark are afraid of silver, and here is a silver candlestick. As long as a slight cut is made on the arm, the difference between a human and a werewolf will be immediately apparent, it will definitely scream incessantly, and the wound will have a burning quality."

As he spoke, he touched the back of his left hand, and then raised his left hand high, letting everyone see the red blood sliding down his skin.

"We won't be able to test all the residents tonight, but at the very least, by tomorrow, we'll have it all figured out."

"Now, this werewolf who is still hiding can come out and explain all this by himself. Considering that you have not harmed the neighbors and villagers, we will not execute you. You can use labor to offset your sins - this is Mr. Lewis also allowed it.”

Clayton was also a little surprised by this lenient approach, but he didn't want to accept this test at all.

He is a foreign werewolf and will definitely receive more discrimination than the local werewolves. There is no need to take risks.

He grabbed a guard holding a gun: "Your werewolf seems to have been active for a month, and I just came here the day before yesterday. Obviously this has nothing to do with me, so can I skip this testing step? There is a saying, 'Don't let it slip.' Unnecessary blood', isn't it?"

The guard was so nervous that the unexpected touch almost caused him to fire his gun. But when he saw Clayton, he recognized that this was the man who helped carry the wounded back and forth in the afternoon, and his expression softened a lot.

"Of course, I think the young men must not know that you have just arrived, so I called you out. I will tell the elders later that you and other guests who have just arrived in town this month do not need to attend. test."

This promise came very timely, and he did not delay, and went directly to the edge of the high platform to whisper to the elder.

After a while, Clayton, Julius, and Hook's four detectives immediately gained the authority to return home.