There was a high-class carriage waiting outside the door of the gentleman's hall.
Everyone gave priority to Mr. Hervoye.
The old man, who was born as an autopsy officer, wrapped himself up almost airtight.
An old-style round hat, a light brown stand-up collar windbreaker, a dark red tie and a white shirt with vertical stripes.
Under his trousers were tied a pair of well-fitting rain boots, or rather, a unique kind of footwear for him.
Both hands were also wearing black rubber gloves.
The only visible part of the face is the hooked nose and the wrinkles around it.
Being able to work in Zion until retirement, and considering that breaking the limits can increase human lifespan, it is estimated that this old man is probably around a hundred years old.
Everyone seemed rather reserved after getting on the bus, until the old man took off his round hat, revealing his long gray hair. His eagle-like eyes seemed to be able to see through everyone's physical condition and even perform a "dissection" through his gaze.
The old man glanced at his teammates in the car and spoke first:
“The fact that you three young people have passed Edge’s review shows that you are quite capable.
First of all, let me explain our primary mission in coming to Wenholm. We will work with the local gentlemen to deal with the extra civilian bodies. I will select some special and valuable bodies for autopsy.
Additionally, I may need an assistant to help me record, bag, pass tools, and assist with the autopsy when necessary.
Do you have experience with autopsies, or simple handling of corpses?"
When Yi Chen was about to raise his hand, Lotson in a white robe said first:
"The ancient magic I'm proficient in is related to the body. My father gave me anatomical training when I was a child. I'm familiar with the conventional anatomical procedures and am particularly good at handling blood."
"Ancient magic, the bloodline passed down from the family? If I'm not mistaken, it should be "blood magic" right?"
"That's right."
"Well, I'll temporarily appoint you as my assistant."
"I will do my best to assist Mr. Hervoye."
Seeing that only one assistant seemed to be needed and that Lotson had also received professional training, Yi Chen no longer competed for the assistant position.
Rather than being confined to the old man's side to assist in the autopsy, Yi Chen wanted to find an opportunity to investigate this mysterious death on his own.
However, there is an important point in the conversation just now.
The ancient magic that White Robe Lotson is proficient in is actually related to blood. This also explains why in the last relic incident, Lotson chose the Baron route, which has unknown difficulty and uncontrollable risks but is also related to blood.
Yi Chen even suspected that Lotson and his team had not eradicated the mysterious baron.
It's even possible that the Baron was not dead at all. Instead, through some form of curse transfer and disease grafting, his consciousness was combined with Lotson's blood and even brain, which had an invisible influence on him.
It was because of the Baron's influence that Yi Chen felt this sense of disharmony.
But it could also be something else. Without definite evidence, Yi Chen would not easily draw a conclusion.
As the white robed Lotson began to discuss some anatomy with the old man, the heavy knight Barry slowly approached Yi Chen and asked in a low voice:
"William, what did you gain from the last incident? Did you get any suitable relics?"
"Yeah." Yi Chen pointed to his abdomen, indicating that the relic was there.
"Congratulations! What about those two teammates of yours who are almost insanely strong? Are you guys also a temporary team?"
"That's not the case. Jin is still in the old world, and Reagan is in seclusion in the power station. He may break through the limits of human beings at any time."
Such an answer puzzled the honest Barry. "You actually got two relics that matched your own attributes at once, but Miss Jin got lost while exploring the old world. What happened?"
"No, the three of us chose to split up as soon as we arrived in the Old World to maximize the use of time."
"Split up!? Wow~ You monsters don't even give civilians like us a chance to catch up."
Now that the topic has been opened, Yi Chen also began to ask some questions that he was curious about.
He asked about Barry's knight family and its characteristics, and even touched this unique "armor costume".
According to Barry, if he can break through the limit and the leather content of the armor reaches more than 50%, the armor can become an independent individual and transform into an armored knight to fight alongside him.
In the combined state, it can even grow "Wings of Heaven", greatly improving its overall combat power.
The history of the Barry family can be traced back to the Middle Ages. Their ancestors were all brave and skilled knights. The inherited bloodline has given Barry an innate physique and spirit.
The chivalry can be released in the form of a halo, providing amplification for all team members.
Barry's halo is called "Heavy Halo" which increases the team members' defense against physical attacks. Under the influence of the halo, the team members' clothing will even have a metal structure similar to knight armor.
…
Gray clouds over the city
The carriage was driving on the open road, and everyone could glimpse the outline of the city of Wenholm through the window, but compared with the surrounding suburbs, the fog over the city was obviously thicker.
Some fog has even settled on the streets, giving it a "fog city" feel.
Yi Chen tried to use Little Grape's vision to see through the clouds, but the effect was not good... Even at night, he might not be able to see the moon.
"William, when you have finished your work, go to the cemetery here if you have time. I can smell a strong cemetery smell from such a distance. The cemetery of this organization's third largest city must be different."
The specifications and number of bodies buried there are probably several times more than those in the Seven Days Cemetery.
"Well, if you have some free time, go and have a look."
The carriage drove along the avenue into the city,
Even through the car window, one could feel the dead silence. The streets were empty, every house was sealed, and occasionally a pair of eyes would peek out from between the drawn curtains to observe the passing vehicles.
When passing by an open space, square or park, you can see a temporary "morgue" built with special steel plates and tents.
Some gentlemen wrapped in coats and wearing breathing masks were transporting the bodies. All the bodies were sealed in black cloth bags to prevent possible death factors in their bodies from leaking out.
Horse-drawn carriages shuttled through the city.
If you ignore the fog and the dead silence, the whole city is actually quite normal, and the streets and buildings give people a very clean feeling.
Just then,
Yi Chen accidentally captured a group of rats that came out of the sewer, but they did not look like they were looking for food, but were running around in a regular pattern.
They seemed to sense the vision from the carriage, and their running speed became the same as the carriage, and the two were relatively still.
As Yi Chen looked at them, the rats actually began to change their formation.
Just then, a voice came: "William, what are you looking at?"
The white-haired Lotson suddenly squeezed over, put his head close to the car window, and looked out together.
The rats that were originally running along with the carriage stopped immediately and quickly dispersed.
"So you're looking at these little creatures. Indeed, in a city shrouded in death, any creature may be affected. Is there something wrong with these rats?"
“Not yet.”
The carriage finally stopped at the town hall.
The administrators who came to Wenholm were already overwhelmed and didn't care about Yi Chen and the group of students who came to complete the mission. It was only because of Mr. Hervoye's identity that they received a temporary friendly reception.
Only Hervoye was invited into the mayor's office, while Yi Chen and the other two waited outside.
About half an hour later,
Hrvoye lowered his hat to hide his ugly expression. "I have obtained the autopsy certificate. I can inspect any morgue. Follow me. We will start with the oldest deceased. I hope it won't be too late."
(End of this chapter)