Werewolf Hunting Rules.

Chapter 492 Clayton in the Eyes of an Old Acquaintance
At the crack of dawn, news of the first battle between city dwellers and rural werewolves reached the "nest" beneath the West Side black market.

The real world and ordinary people are not completely isolated. The various people who mingle here may not understand the principles of the existence and operation of supernatural powers, but that does not prevent them from discussing "a giant black wolf that can stand upright", "a woman with three nipples", and various monster attacks that have occurred in the North District.

Information travels faster among these people at the bottom of society than the Friendship Society's informants.

For them, getting information is part of daily life, because any change could lead to price fluctuations or job loss, so they have to be so sensitive.

Moreover, this place belongs to the underground world and has an unclear relationship with the criminal dens in the North District, so it's not surprising that they got first-hand information.

“I didn’t expect the first firefight to be so hasty,” Julius said, his voice still ringing out amidst the cacophony of voices. On the table was still a small cup of coffee, his eating habits unchanged despite the rudimentary nature of the den’s restaurant: “I thought they would do some publicity first, then take down a few targets to show off. This is just utterly chaotic.”

"That's because they're broke. When people run out of money, they become flustered and anxious, and they don't care about the rules."

Stuart sat down before the wizard, his movements less swift than usual. He hadn't slept all night, having kept watch the entire time, and was now somewhat exhausted.

His answer pleased Julius, who leaned back in his chair, his green hair cascading down the back: "Did your men find any useful intelligence in their panic? It's not only Mr. Jonard who can reward you."

Stuart frowned. This wasn't something to discuss in public, but he couldn't reveal any secrets right now.

“You mean he was just taken in for questioning by the Friendship Society and doesn’t dare to show his face for the time being?” He paused. “What about Clayton Bello? I believe he has the ability to investigate the Friendship Society thoroughly.”

Julius raised an eyebrow and tapped his index finger rhythmically on the table.

"I thought you two didn't get along."

“I was just wary that both of the Bello brothers had the talent to quickly gain the trust of others. Such a talent would bring different changes to the world if it fell on different people. I was once worried that they would bring negative changes.”

"To gain others' trust in one's talent?" Julius murmured, a thought he also vaguely sensed.

Clayton does indeed possess this strange ability, an effect not achieved through extraordinary intelligence, but whose principles even Julius cannot comprehend.

However, since Gnostic did not issue a warning, he did not take it as a threat.

Winston Jean Stewart's mention of this matter at this moment piqued his curiosity.

His past lack of curiosity doesn't mean he should continue to ignore it in front of someone who knows Clayton Bello's past, especially since Stewart is someone who looks somewhat like Clayton.

"Did he have this talent while he was in the army? Did his brother have it too?"

“Yes, didn’t he tell you?” Stuart called the waiter over and ordered a glass of milk, then took a cold sandwich out of his pocket and started eating.

“If I asked him, he would definitely tell me, but in my opinion, he doesn’t know he has this ability.”

“That’s true. Both he and his brother take it for granted, but not everyone has this talent.” Stuart chewed on his sandwich, but his face lacked the peace and happiness that creatures sometimes unconsciously show when eating; it was as if he were doing something else.

"However, you don't need to take my vigilance and suspicion seriously. After all, I'm just a nobody, and I don't actually have much interaction with them, so I'm not qualified to comment on them."

Julius sat up straight, as devoutly as any listener begging for the story to continue: "Mr. Stewart, you come from noble frontier nobles, and even Mr. Jonrad values ​​you. How could I possibly regard you as a nobody?"

Stuart's tired face remained expressionless; the hustle and bustle of the underground restaurant seemed completely irrelevant to him, but he continued speaking anyway:
"The two Bellow brothers joined my unit because of a misunderstanding. They were famous from the start because of their very handsome faces, especially Clayton's brother, Ullen, who had an angelic face and ideals that matched his greatness. He said he wanted to make a name for himself in the army and maybe even be listed in the Heraldry in the future, but we all felt that he would have a much better future at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art than in the army."

“Clayton was different from his brother. He didn’t expect to gain fame and rank through military merit. He just wanted money, even the salary of a private would satisfy him. Many people laughed at him and thought he was short-sighted, but he wasn’t angry. In his view, the army was just a temporary stepping stone. He just wanted to get enough money and then find the master sculptor he admired to become his apprentice and learn the technique of preserving beauty forever.”

"Back then, the brothers in the army called them the Ravenbeak Warhammers of the Bello family. Uren was the pointed one (in Dornish, sharp also means wise). He had joined the army earlier and had served in other units before, so he was very experienced. Clayton was the blunt one. Although he was still a newcomer, he was sincere, strong, and easy-going. He learned any combat technique very quickly. Although they were assigned to the Folmers' ranks by mistake, every Folmer was willing to befriend them. Only I was an exception, because I maintained an arrogant attitude at the time due to my noble status."

"In my opinion, their talent comes from their nature. This unique nature is like thick ink that spreads when it enters clear water, assimilating those who come near them." "And when these infected guys get together, others can hardly speak to them. Even strangers can trust each other through these two brothers, and everyone feels safe and secure, as if they were in a big family."

"Perhaps this is the quality that outstanding leaders should possess; they are born with this talent."

"But soon, the army destroyed them all."

Julius's posture remained unchanged, but his pupils dilated: "What happened?"

"Many people see the military as a forge, throwing in scrap iron and producing usable material. This is not entirely a wrong view. Many people learn to read and do arithmetic in the military and find good jobs after leaving, achieving a wonderful life that they could never have had before enlisting. But this is only the treatment that those who are not perfect receive."

"If someone performs perfectly and exceptionally well, the army will become his hell."

Stuart stopped eating at some point, holding a chipped sandwich, his expression lost in deep reminiscence, his tone filled with disgust.

"In order to cope with the increasingly fierce fighting, our troops will also be going to Fesbricka for replacement. The higher-ups have started to take it seriously and have transferred more elite and strict training officers to improve our combat level and get rid of the indolence of the previous officers."

"Our unit, mainly composed of steppe From people, is a reserve force for cavalry, and the way our commander trains us riders is no different from training horses. Do you know how a rider chooses and trains his horse?"

Julius's expression stiffened, but Stewart hadn't actually asked him to answer the question; he had simply revealed the answer himself.

“We select young horses from the stables that are rebellious and force them into obedience through a series of oppressive techniques in the saddlery course, while also teaching them how to cooperate with the rider in the process. If it is a horse that is not rebellious but is skilled, we first induce it to rebel and then force it to obey.”

"Because such a horse may be too clever and obey voluntarily in order to avoid punishment. Such cleverness is not good for the rider. Its cleverness can make it temporarily submit, or it can make it make different choices from the rider at critical moments."

"What matters is not ability, but loyalty; that's what the military needs."

The retired officer who told the story gave a sarcastic smile.

"What's ridiculous is that senior officers are more tolerant of low-intelligence beasts, but have no patience for human beings as their own kind."

"If you want them to trust you, it's best to make a fool of yourself a few times and let them punish you a few times. That way, they will feel at ease. But if you perform perfectly from beginning to end and even get through the deliberately arranged 'trials' without incident, they will see it as mockery and become furious."

"Of course, this is a rule I've only just figured out. Nobody knew about it back then. I won't go into the details of how cruelly the two Bellow brothers were treated afterward; it was their perfect performance that led to their misfortune."

"Couldn't they use that talent to gain the trust of their superiors?" Julius couldn't help but ask.

Stuart shook his head: "Unfortunately, only those who consider themselves one of them are affected by their nature; those who think too highly of themselves are not affected much—for example, those high-ranking officers, including myself back then."

"In short, they have all changed after going through all this suffering."

“Uren Bello, who possessed an angelic face and charm, began to show signs of hypocrisy and lust for power. He deliberately cultivated relationships with people from other units and often met with them in private to plot terrible schemes.”

“Clayton Bello, on the other hand, picked up all sorts of bad habits that soldiers used to vent their stress, from gambling to visiting prostitutes. His temper also became much worse than before, and he would fight with others at the drop of a hat. Even his brothers could not stop his depravity.”

"Even in this state, their talent for winning the trust of others remains. Their distorted nature continues to infect others. At this point, their abilities are harmful to the world. I have to continue to distance myself from them, for fear of being influenced by them."

"However, as I said, this is just my subjective opinion as an unknown person, and it may not be the truth."

Stuart lowered his head, staring at the sandwich in his hand: "Ever since Clayton helped me in Gevor, I have no reason to be wary of him anymore, and the last time we met, he seemed to have given me a feeling similar to the one I had when we first met."

Julius looked thoughtful.