Werewolf Hunting Rules.

Chapter 506 Neutral Target
Fire at the target, then retreat.

Being able to strictly obey orders and smoothly complete the above actions already makes one an excellent soldier in the army.

In cities, those who can do this are even more elite.

Behind seemingly simple actions lie many complexities—how much to bring? How to determine the right time to act? If things go wrong, should we persevere to complete the goal or retreat? To what extent should we try before withdrawing? How should we withdraw? Where should we withdraw to? Only by thinking these things through in advance can we prevent mistakes in our actions.

The sharpshooter who attacked Albert did everything perfectly; when he realized police reinforcements were arriving, he didn't hesitate to discard his weapon. His decisive action was identical to that of the gunman who attacked "Argonne."

The police inspected the guns left at the shooting location; they were all brand-new rifled guns.

A standard smoothbore gun costs around 5 pounds, while a rifled gun of the same type costs about twice that amount.

The gunman dropped three rifled guns in one go, which is equivalent to losing more than half a year's salary for a tutor. The person behind him must be very wealthy.

The above is Sheriff Albert's reasoning.

Clayton's reasoning was much simpler. He simply transformed into wolf form, sniffing the ground to track the gunman. If he could catch him fast enough, he could capture the gunman and torture the mastermind behind him.

The police officers were a bit out of sorts. Many of them were probably veterans, but they didn't have much combat experience. When it came to a real fight, they would panic. So they didn't notice when the big black wolf appeared or when the tall gentleman disappeared. They just jogged after him under Albert's command.

The gunman's professionalism was beyond imagination. He anticipated that someone might track him by scent, and his trail led him to a whale oil bottling plant. Because everyone needed it, Conionne had shown leniency during the attack, allowing the plant to continue operating.

The dark silhouettes of these buildings reeked of animal fat, stronger than gunpowder. A group of workers had just left with their lanterns, chatting and laughing, completely unaware that their route was spreading the scent of whale oil. The gunman, tainted by the same smell, mingled among them and left. Clayton could no longer track him by scent.

He stopped, and his officers stopped as well. Albert surveyed the surroundings; the crowd was receding. He ordered his officers to stop the remaining people and check their hands one by one, looking for the calluses that develop from long-term shooting practice.

But in the end, they didn't find such a guy.

The gunmen were a step ahead of them, arriving here without the slightest hesitation.

This was clearly an escape route the gunmen had planned long ago. However, this action also revealed two things to them.

First, this attacker does not belong to Conrionay. Second, he was indeed part of the same group that attacked Norris last time.

The second point is derived from the first point.

Albert was a capable man, but still relatively unknown. To the most powerful beastmen in the Weaudi region, Albert wasn't someone they needed to specifically target. Furthermore, most of the druids, who sided with the Friendship Society, had no reason to attack him.

As for the orcs and the minority among the druids, Clayton doubted whether they still had the courage to launch such a decisive attack.

Even if the weaker of the two sides, the Friendship Society, were to free up its resources, it would have the strength to easily crush them. They would have no reason to risk coming out to kill an unknown person, as this would draw the attention of the Friendship Society, which still had the resources, to these opponents.

Now, considering the two sides involved in these two similar attacks, Argon belongs to the Society "Winged Serpent," while Albert is trying to capture all Society members active at night.

The attackers were clearly affiliated with the Society and were hostile to the Winged Serpent.

These gunmen were all equally well-trained and skilled in combat. Although Weodi had over two million people, finding such a number was not easy. In Weodi, no one offered a higher price than the Mutual of Kinship, so what attracted them was not money, or their contracts with their employers were signed long before the Mutual of Kinship publicly recruited gunmen.

Such a person is likely from outside the region.

Without careful reasoning, a name immediately popped into Clayton's mind.

The place of truth.

This organization is known for selling prophetic services and is also a type of association.

The prophetess Abigail of the Temple of Truth resides in Weodia, and many people, including Norris, spend lavishly to obtain her prophecies. She is accompanied by numerous armed men, bodyguards hired by the many who beseech the prophet; it would not be surprising if some of these men were skilled fighters.

He straightened his hind legs, changing from a squatting position back to a standing position, and then gestured with his eyes for Albert to follow him to a more secluded place to talk.

In the alley, the sheriff crouched down, his head slightly lower than the wolf's head. He looked directly into the pair of yellow eyes and lowered his voice: "What did you find?"

"Your main goal is to capture the members of the Witchcraft Society, isn't it?"

"That's right. You think it's related to them?"

Black Wolf didn't answer Albert, but instead asked a new question: "Have you seen Abigail?"

“I met her even earlier than you, so I’ve seen her often, three times a week. I even saw her at noon. She was always wandering the streets with a group of armed men, as if she never needed to sleep.”

"Have her always had the same followers?" A solemn, cross-species expression appeared on the wolf's face.

“Not always. New clients are constantly sending security personnel to look after her, but there are a few who have remained consistent.”

"If one of them had been with her between before the café attack and last night, and is now gone, can you immediately describe what this missing person looks like?"

Upon hearing Clayton's question, Albert smiled with a hint of smugness.

“Of course.” “Then you go and confirm that first, and I’ll go and confirm the other things.”

Black Wolf nodded to Albert, then took a few steps back and disappeared into the shadows.

After regaining his human form, Clayton's first task was to continue his previous visit.

Another union that helped him transport the silver was the Bruga's own union, which was very welcoming to Clayton, a fellow countryman, and he hoped they could provide some information about association.

However, the address of the Buriga people's union was deserted, with a "For Rent" sign hanging on the door.

Not only that, Clayton couldn't even hear anyone else around him speaking with a Briga accent; the union had taken away all the South Briganes from the area.

Clayton couldn't admit he was surprised.

The Brigadiers were mostly like this, valuing family and community. To prevent the community from collapsing, they were willing to sacrifice their own interests and distribute the silver to everyone in the community. This guild had completely left Weodia; it would migrate to another region and use the silver to grow stronger. What kind of organization it would become in the future, no longer existing as a guild, was still unknown.

Perhaps they'll join forces to start a company, or perhaps they'll buy weapons to form a gang.

Or they might suddenly become obsessed with some mysterious goal and form a secret society.

No matter what it becomes, Clayton has nothing to say.

Next, he went to the house where Norris had hosted him. There were almost no personal belongings there, but there were still a few books that Norris had read, casually placed in the bedroom and living room. They were all religious and historical books.

It wasn't some exquisitely handwritten copy, but rather a book that would be openly sold in a bookstore.

However, there are good books available for public sale, but people often don't cherish easily obtained knowledge and take it for granted.

Clayton picked up a book from the books on the living room table; the thick cover had the title "The Ritual of the Devil Worshipper" written in gold lettering.

He casually flipped through the book, and the open page happened to be the chapter on "The Lewd Inath".

“Norris, I have this feeling that you haven’t left. You’re hiding somewhere in this city, watching how things are going and all my attempts, and then quietly slipping me some hints,” Clayton muttered to himself. But he also knew that this was not a coincidence. It was because the previous person who read the book had left the page open and looked at it for a long time, leaving an imprint, which is why he could easily turn to this page when he was flipping through the book.

In other words, Norris was trying to deal with the Witchcraft and Wizardry under the identity of Argon, but Clayton's arrival interrupted his plans.

It's really interesting; Clayton can finally be completely certain that those attackers were acting in retaliation against the Witchcraft Society.

So, was his own guess—that the attackers belonged to the Truth House—correct?

To know this, he was only waiting for news from Albert.

Clayton turned the pages, reading about the Inath worshippers.

This demon lord is known for his unrestrained indulgence and disregard for ethics, and his worshippers imitate everything he does. This was something Clayton knew before he entered the "real world." Father Louis of Gevor had told him more details, and Edwards, the dark wizard who controlled this kingdom in Wonderland, was also a follower of Ainart and could be considered an "old acquaintance" of his.

Every member of the Witchcraft Society must undergo a "secret holy marriage," which involves first having intercourse with the incarnation of the Demon Lord, then giving birth, and finally sacrificing the body of this demon child to share this dish with the Demon Lord.

The magic these demon followers wield is true magic; it doesn't require any magical talent of the person in question. They only need to complete one ritual after another to please the demons, and the part of the magic that takes effect will be handled by Hell.

Their most famous magic is illusion, similar to the research direction of the Soul Reaper school to which Julius belongs. They can use this magic on themselves, control their own feelings, and make black bread taste like delicacies and vinegar taste like fine wine.

Clayton would not underestimate this kind of magic. All living beings instinctively pursue pleasure, and the Witchcraft Society can satisfy this need by creating a cheap paradise for the world. This already possesses a very terrifying power of seduction, and in a cold and crowded city like Weaudi, this power is even more effective.

Even without this ability, the Witchcraft Society still has the potential to grow stronger.

Because of the high rents in the city, workers have to move their families into box-like rooms. Often, a small room has to accommodate two adults and four or more children, and the space per person is far less than the 400 cubic feet recommended by medical experts.

When it's time to rest, these poor parents have no other entertainment or places to go, so they do things in front of their children.

Imitation is a child's nature, and children treat such behavior as a game, repeating the actions of adults with their playmates—usually their siblings. However, as they reach maturity, this "game" can have disastrous consequences. Young, frail mothers are highly susceptible to difficult childbirth, and even if they do give birth successfully, the unwanted child is often abandoned.

In the Witchcraft Guild, both illicit relationships and illegitimate offspring are favored by the Demon Lord.

Upper-class people don't have similar worries, but in an era where money can buy a king's life, they can easily get bored and start seeking new thrills to rekindle their passions.

Those with superior intellect will delve into art and science, while the devout will begin to reflect on themselves and suppress their desires with discipline. Those who lack these virtues can only settle for second best and choose to commit crimes.

"Crime is an irrational act, and passion is the opposite of reason. Therefore, crime can help people rediscover their passion."

A significant number of people agree with the above viewpoint. The Witchcraft Society provides these people with the best way to satisfy this need.

Low-cost, high-quality crime, certified by the church itself.

The things pursued by the Prophets and the Witchcraft Society are completely different. The prophets do not indulge in pleasure. In order to gain the ability to see into the future, they would even give up their physical eyes. Clayton was somewhat doubtful of his guess, because those dreams and indulgences should have nothing to do with the Prophets.

What else could possibly lead the Truth Office and the Witchcraft Society to join forces?