Margaret came to see Old Hark with Shade today, not to chat with him, but to express her goodwill. And Shade believed that Margaret definitely did not just start with Old Hark, and she had made more preparations for the qualification of the Great Witch's apprentice than Shade thought.
After Margaret finished talking about her own affairs, Shade did not rush forward, but watched the police officers come back and take old Huck away. Such dangerous prisoners were escorted by special carriages. After confirming that the prisoner had not been replaced, the haggard old man was pushed directly into the carriage with steel plates on the inside.
But after Old Huck got on the car, he was somewhat surprised to find that the person looking at him in the car was no longer the sheriff who came when he came, but the princess's attendant who had just poured him tea.
The carriage closed, and the completely enclosed carriage suddenly became dark. But then, Shade lit the candle with a match, and the jumping flame illuminated the faces of the two people:
"Why are you so surprised? Her Highness Margaret is very cautious. If you disappear on the road after she has seen you, then Her Highness will not be able to explain anything. I will personally see you back to prison."
Xia De said, and the old man looked at him suspiciously:
"It doesn't seem that simple. I don't know the police's procedures, but how could it be possible... Sir, you're not going to pull out a gun and tell me that you're not a royal guard, but a member of MI6 in Delarion, are you?"
Shade blinked:
"Of course not."
Old Huck immediately became nervous. The old man's experience made it easy for him to see that the other party was lying, and he was deliberately made to see that he was lying. His heart was immediately lifted.
Xia De smiled and shook his head:
"Don't be so nervous, and don't think too much. Just treat me as the princess's attendant. I'm not a killer. I just want to ask you something."
"On whose behalf are you asking?"
Old Hack said vigilantly, his eyes looking at Shad's waist, guessing where he had hidden the pistol.
"Do you really want to know the answer to this question?"
Xia De asked back, and the old man hurriedly shook his head:
"As long as you are not here to kill me, you can ask whatever you want. We can discuss any issue before we reach our destination. I know that some of your questions will confuse your identity. Don't worry, I will not tell anyone about our conversation in the carriage."
He suspected that he was involved in a more bizarre and complicated political struggle.
"Okay then."
Xia De nodded and sat down in the uncomfortable chair in the carriage with a relaxed look:
"First question, why was William of Anjou the target of the assassination, and not Margaret of Anjou? And why were you so nice to the princess today?"
Old Huck nervously placed his hands on his legs:
"What kind of question is this? Isn't this obvious? Even if I want to take revenge on the Angevin royal family, I won't hurt a fragile woman. I'm not that despicable!"
"Very good, this answer is a good start. You can relax a little and just treat it as a casual conversation. Second question, have you come into contact with any suspicious foreigners recently?"
The old man thought for a moment and shook his head slowly:
"No, if you want to know whether I was ordered by the Delarion people to assassinate the prince, the answer is 'no'."
Of course Shad knew that was not the case. Director Anros had personally said that the assassination had nothing to do with MI6, and he had even read MI6's top-secret files on the Stonemasons Guild.
"However, my neighbor, the old man from the north, is very suspicious. He likes to bring prostitutes home. I suspect there are spies among them."
Xia De waved his hand:
"I have no interest in whether you are snooping into your neighbor's privacy. I see that you are still a little nervous. Let's change the topic to something lighter and tell me a story that is circulated in the Stonemason Association."
Then he took out his pocket watch and pretended to take a look at it:
"We have one hour and twenty minutes until we return to the prison. Tell me a little story, and then we'll continue with the questions."
Old Huck nodded immediately:
"What story do you want to hear?"
"Anything will do...an old, little-known story."
The old man had no doubt about it:
"I have many stories. You certainly don't know what happened when the Stonemasons Guild was first established. Establishing a guild is not as simple as getting together and pressing your handprints. It requires huge financial resources. The first stonemasons were just craftsmen, so they asked the devil for help, obtained ancient treasures, and used that money to establish the first guild."
"So, what's the price?"
Xia De asked with a smile, and the old man nodded:
"Of course there is a price. Every hundred years, the association will select the best stone carver to carve the most perfect statue for the devil. If the devil is satisfied, he will take the statue away; if he is not satisfied, he will take the craftsman's soul away."
Xia De did not comment on this story. Whether it was true or not, it had nothing to do with the clues he was looking for today:
"This story tells us that everything you do has to be paid for. Now it's my turn to ask questions: You just offered Princess Margaret a price of 60,000 crowns, which would allow the Anjou family to pay for all these years. So, how did you calculate this number? I have investigated you, I mean, Your Highness has investigated you, and you are not well educated, but you were able to say this number just now. I don't think that as an ordinary stonemason in the association, you usually calculate this kind of thing... Who told you this price?"
The old man's eyes suddenly widened, and he trembled and couldn't speak.
Xia De still said in that relaxed tone:
"Your social connections are simple, and it won't be difficult for me to investigate on my own."
"It's Mr. Jon, the association's accountant. He complained to me... If there's this money, he can accept it even without an apology."
Although hatred was growing, not all members of the Stonemasons Association were determined to apologize. The "Mr. Jon" mentioned by Old Harker was obviously the kind of person who would not even apologize if the compensation was sufficient. Shade would not comment on this pragmatic approach, but Margaret could probably do something about this person.
"Look, isn't this a good question and answer for us?"
He took from his pocket a corked glass bottle filled with white sugar cubes. He took out two and motioned to Old Huck to choose one, then ate the other himself:
"Then continue with the story."
Xia De continued, and the old man felt the sweet taste in his mouth. He already knew that he could not guess who the other party was asking the question on behalf of:
"Stories, let me think... Yes, the most famous story of the Stonemasons Guild is definitely the living stone statue. I saw it once when I was young, but people didn't believe it. There are many stories about it circulating in the city, but I bet no one knows as many as I do. Among the founders of the guild, there was a very low-key Mr. Fleming. He was the one with the best craftsmanship among the original founders, but because of his accidental disappearance, he did not participate in the subsequent major events of the guild, which led to not many people knowing him now. But his name has not been lost in history. Did you know that the guild has a collection of the original contract signed by the founders, and Mr. Fleming's name is on it?"
He had a lot of stories about "Mr. Fleming" and he talked for a full ten minutes before stopping. This information was much more than the information provided by the middle-aged stonemason a few hours ago. Obviously, the middle-aged stonemason also heard the story from him.
During the rest of the journey, Shade and Old Hake exchanged many things. When the carriage finally stopped, he made a gesture to keep quiet:
"It has been a pleasant journey. I have learned the general idea of what has happened. Mr. Harker, I think this will not be the last time we meet."
"You're going to come see me again?"
The old man asked with some fear. He was really afraid of this man who was good at interrogation.
"That's hard to say, but I think it will be very interesting when we meet next time."
As he said this, he jumped off the carriage with its door opened, completed the handover procedures for the criminals, and then got on another carriage parked on the side of the road.
Margaret was waiting for him in the carriage with a cup of tea:
"How is it, is there any harvest?"
"You can gain something from these people. The Stonemason Association is not a complete iron plate. There are people in it who may be able to help you."
He took out the book and handed it to Her Royal Highness, which contained the content of the previous conversation:
"No, no, I mean, did you get anything out of your work?"
The blonde girl asked as she flipped through the book. Shade thought about it.
"There may be some ancient demons in this area. Old Harker also knows the Stone Oxenfurt family and told me that Stone Oxenfurt once learned the craft of stone carving in the Stonemason Guild. Mr. Fleming, one of the original founders of the Guild, may have a problem. I will need your help tomorrow. I want to see the contract signed by the original founder of the Stonemason Guild."
Margaret thought for a moment:
"I'm afraid I won't be able to see you tomorrow. Even though I'm a princess, I don't have the right to command everyone. Give me some time. The Stonemasons Guild is not friendly to me."
"Oh, actually it doesn't matter if I can't see you."
Xia De also realized that this request was very difficult:
"As long as the location is determined, it's the same if I break in and take a look myself."
Margaret smiled and shook her head:
"Although I know you're not a criminal, every time you say something like this, it feels dangerous... and exciting. Knight, do you have anything else to do tonight? How about having dinner with me? A candlelight dinner, and then going to the Wilde Opera House to watch an opera together."
Xia De shook his head regretfully:
"Sorry, I have to meet up with my friends in a while."
This refers to the playwrights surveyed by the Masons.
"Luvia and I have some things to do tonight."
He planned to go to the Stonemason Association tonight. Even if he couldn't see the moving stone statue, at least he would have a chance to find the original stonemason contract. He had done a lot of breaking and entering. Since Luvia was also here this time, calling the fortune teller, the operation should be much smoother.