Werewolf Hunting Rules.

Chapter 580 Noble Deeds
Clayton was unaware that Franklin was going to see Des Joannard.

When the old knight saw the three people besides Franklin and Angel, his pupils trembled for a moment, but he quickly pretended not to recognize them and swiftly steered the conversation toward the purpose of Franklin's visit.

The request for a review of noble status came from the young knight, and the old knight immediately agreed, so quickly that Franklin almost began to doubt him—a relatively positive doubt, such as whether the old knight had become kind and pious with age. However, he didn't think much of it and planned to leave afterward.

Just before leaving, Sir Jonard suddenly spoke up and asked Julius to stay behind.

The other two also naturally did not get up.

Julius's social standing was already quite high, and Sir Jonard certainly knew his family. If the apprentice Julius stayed, his mentor Clayton Bello also had to stay, and if Clayton Bello stayed, his patron Barbara also had to stay, lest she escape alone.

Franklin went through the relationship between the three in his mind, and soon his reason told him that there was nothing suspicious about it.

He turned and left with Angel to retrieve the vampire's foot from his mount.

After Franklin left, the atmosphere in the living room became somewhat strange.

Sir Jonard raised his thick hand as if to grab his head, but his fingers did not touch his white hair.

"What are you two up to? How did you end up hanging out with that out-of-town knight? And you—" He glared at the vampire who had lost both legs and was sitting obediently in a chair.

Their appearance clearly surprised him.

“She messed up,” Clayton said. “I was planning to get Franklin to do some work for me.”

Without needing much explanation, he could tell that Barbara was working for the old knight.

“I didn’t fail. Charlie and the book were already in my hands. It was that knight who attacked me halfway and made me lose everything.” Barbara lied without blinking.

“She’s lying,” Clayton said flatly.

Des Joannard didn't waste time guessing what was going on. He stared at the female vampire's pale lips and her glowing red eyes, then decisively rang the rope bell to call a servant to fetch milk. He then stepped forward, grabbed her by the throat, and forced both jugs of milk down her throat.

With a little added vitality, Barbara looked more like a living person.

The old gentleman released his grip, took two steps back, and casually tossed the pot onto the table. Barbara, now freed from her restraints, changed her expression and apologized to him and Clayton with trepidation: "I'm sorry, I just lost my temper."

Vampires are monsters that need to drink the blood of others to maintain their humanity and desires.

The injuries caused by the silverware depleted Barbara's blood reserves, and the not-fully-healed head wound, exposed to the sun all the way, caused her to fall into a state of blood addiction even sooner.

In this state, she's essentially a thinking madwoman; lying to protect herself is a minor matter. If Sir Joannard and Clayton weren't around, she wouldn't hesitate to devour the powerless Julius.

"Is Franklin right?" That was all the old knight cared about.

"That's about right."

So Joanrard sent paper and pen again, ordering Barbara to draw the young nobleman's appearance.

She was not skilled in painting, but her superb control over the body was enough to make the portrait reflect the characteristics of the subject, and that was sufficient.

As Barbara's portrait gradually took shape, Jonard's expression softened slightly. He looked at the other two men—mainly Clayton—and asked, "Franklin said you think the Book of Earth might be in the hands of the Earth Mother Cult?"

Clayton sat calmly in his chair, his confident expression and robust physique making him appear no weaker than the old jazz.

"Yes, but this is just a guess. Only when we catch Charlie will we know who has the book."

Jonrad snorted and circled Barbara, assessing her injuries.

“Barbara, Barbara, I’ve met Charlie once. He’s at best a seasoned knight, far inferior to Franklin. You should be ashamed that he’s made you like this.”

Barbara turned her head to follow his lead: "It's not just Charlie, there are three of them, sir."

"But you didn't manage to take care of a single one."

The old gentleman sighed deeply, clearly feeling resentful because of the high hopes he had placed on Barbara. He then looked at Clayton.

“We all know your capabilities. Bring Charlie to me, and don’t let Franklin get there first, okay?”

He certainly has many men under his command, including many skilled fighters who are willing to do anything dangerous to prove their loyalty. However, fighting and tracking are different, and in this respect, werewolves and wizards are clearly more advantageous.

Clayton smiled without saying a word, while Julius seemed somewhat embarrassed because of his father's relationship with the family, and ultimately did not speak.

“I know, I know.” Jonard shook his head and turned around, his burly body swaying as he returned to his seat with his back to them. “Everyone knows I’m just a senile old nobleman who can’t read the ledgers but fills in the largest figures when paying people in order to maintain appearances. Name your price. Anyway, I can make 50,000 pounds a year without doing anything. Your price won’t scare me.”

“Someone bought his life,” Clayton said.

"Okay, he'll be handed over to you in the end. Anything else?"

“I have put forward a proposal to review the business qualifications of pharmacies, aiming to have medical experts serve as pharmacists and eliminate quack doctors. I wonder what Mayor Kunti thinks.”

“Okay, it will pass.” Jonard’s promise exceeded Clayton’s expectations. It wasn’t just support, but an absolute certainty.

So they formally made an agreement.

“Since we’re on the way, there’s something else I need to tell you,” the werewolf said.

The old knight gripped the armrest tightly, leaning forward: "Any more conditions?"

"It's not a condition, but you need to know that someone is planning to cheat at the horse race. I've investigated two versions of the story: one is that Little Freckles is pre-selected as the winner, and the other is that Morning Star is pre-selected as the winner. These rumors are circulating in aristocratic circles, and many nobles have placed bets based on what they believe to be true."

Clayton paused to observe Sir Jonard's expression. He seemed neither surprised nor angry, nor did he have any other feelings, only a bewilderment at why this topic had come up.

It's normal that horse racing isn't a big deal for everyone.

“I haven’t found any signs of cheating yet, but that doesn’t mean cheating won’t happen later. I suspect that only one of the two claims is true. Considering where the rumors first appeared, it’s possible that someone is planning to let their allies profit while cracking down on dissidents.”

“I think Mr. Melcher of Sasha University was coerced into serving as the veterinarian for this event, and I believe he is highly suspicious.”

Jonrad's expression gradually turned serious.

"This is indeed useful information. And what about you? Why did you come to tell me this?"

"Because this is my job, and it's also your job."

“I know you’re the judge for this conference, but what about my job?” Jonard leaned forward even more.

Clayton also leaned forward.

“Sir, you are the vice chairman of the City Life Committee.”

"Europe--"

The mystery has finally been solved.

Jonard snapped back to reality, his face showing a surprise no less than Clayton's when he learned of this, like an elderly person whose memory was beginning to decline.

“I remember now, there was indeed such a thing, but apart from the day I accepted the appointment, no one came to me because of this title, so I forgot about this identity.”

Clayton finally realized that Jonrad was also a Derren-like figure.

He was also surprised when he learned about this, since he hadn't seen Jonrade at the horse racing convention last year, nor the year before.

They met for the first time last winter.

However, the old knight is still better than Derren. These kinds of high-level government positions don't actually receive salaries, so they don't waste taxpayers' money. They are just nominal positions, which Clayton can tolerate.

After remembering his identity, Jonard promised to send people to assist Clayton's investigation and protect his secret informant, Melcher, thus fulfilling part of Clayton's promise to Melcher.

After Barbara finished the portrait, Clayton carried her and Julius out of Jonard's mansion. Franklin, seeing them, threw the severed leg back to Barbara.

Now the female vampire can finally let go of Clayton's arm and walk on her own.

Franklin looked at Clayton.
"I'm sorry, I don't think I can make arresting Charlie my top priority for now, but perhaps we can cooperate in the future."

“If so, I would be happy to help,” Clayton replied.

After Franklin rode away, Julius immediately complained to Barbara about Ian Lazarus's misconduct, hoping she could send him out of Sasha City by April 2nd to prevent a duel from actually taking place.

Barbara neither agreed nor refused, but promised to persuade Lazarus to give up his revenge.

In the vampire clan, the creator has absolute control over her creations, but she respects the free will of her offspring. Even Julius cannot say that this is wrong, and can only anxiously hope that Barbara, who has been a housewife for decades, will have a superb level of rhetoric.

When the matter was over, Clayton and Julius headed together in the direction that had previously resonated with him.

Those magical posters were a warning; there must be someone with malicious intent lurking nearby.

“Julius,” he addressed the wizard by his first name. “When will my Vahtu be ready?”

Julius gave the time.

"Around the day the horse racing event begins."

"Faster, I have a feeling that my temper will be hard to control right now."

The sorcerer struggled to keep up with him on his mount: "Who else have you offended in this city?"

"That's the strange thing—I don't think so."

Clayton had completely forgotten about the horse-catching team that had set its sights on Alessandro but had been intimidated by him.