Industrial Cthulhu, starting from the island lord

Chapter 21 Connor's Suspicion

The scimitar itself is very beautiful, with a narrow golden guard and a scabbard inlaid with small aqua-blue gems. The blade exudes a biting chill, and it is unknown how much blood it has been soaked in.

But why did he give this to me?

Hughes looked at the sampan going away and couldn't help yawning.

It was already dark, and he had been busy all day. He didn't sleep last night!

Seeing that Alexei didn't take it, Xiu Si stuffed the knife into his arms and said, "This scimitar is for you. You like wearing military uniforms, so you need a knife at your waist."

Alexei subconsciously looked at the scimitar in his hand. It was Jeremiah's sword. Although the pirate captain was dirty, the scimitar was very clean and well maintained. It was obvious that it was his treasured thing.

He stood there in a daze.

"What's wrong? Are you scared by the pirates?" Xiu Si smiled. "You will be busy later. Go back quickly."

After saying that, he walked straight to a place not far away where Connor was leading a horse. Hughes mounted the horse with more practiced movements and grabbed the reins while yawning.

The horse trotted away carrying the two men.

"Master, he's still standing there."

Connor whispered.

Hughes turned his head to look at the dock. In the afterglow of the setting sun, Alexei was holding the scimitar, motionless, wondering what he was thinking.

As if feeling Hughes's gaze, Alexei slowly drew out the scimitar, shook his wrist, the sunset glowed on the blade, the scimitar drew an arc-shaped trajectory, and stopped at his chest.

Then he bowed slightly to Hughes and sheathed his sword.

This is the gesture of greeting superiors in the imperial army, but aren't both of them civilians?
This clerical manager is really interesting.

Xius waved his hand and walked away.

"It can be seen that he particularly likes that scimitar." Connor sighed.

"Indeed," Hughes nodded. "Perhaps his family is not well off, so we can give him a raise."

Connor hesitated for a moment and didn't say anything. Instead, he drove the horse and Hughes away.

——The chief secretary of the border earl is paid by the royal family and is only responsible to the royal family.

Strictly speaking, Hughes's giving of money to Alexei was bribery, which violated the imperial constitution.

But what does this have to do with him as a butler? He is Hughes's butler, not the Queen's. The master's master is not his master.

Alexei glanced at the scimitar in his hand. He really liked this knife.

What was this? Buying people's hearts? He smiled and shook his head.

The lord acted strangely, but he was not unpleasant.

As for whether he could gain a foothold in this stormy ocean with undercurrents, Alexi was very curious and excited.

"Forget it, I'll just work harder next time, just for this knife."

The dock fell into silence again. The fluorescent lights in the distant sea reflected the rising moon in the night sky, which was quiet and peaceful.

Hughes returned to the manor, casually answered a few questions from the butler, handed him a few blueprints, asked Connor to find a blacksmith to see if he could make it, and then fell directly on the bed and fell asleep.

Butler Connor was a little helpless. He actually had a lot of things he wanted to know, but now he could only wait for Zeus to wake up.

Young Master Xius's behavior over the past two days made him feel a little unfamiliar. The young master in the past would never negotiate with those pirates in person, let alone take over the affairs of the territory.

But this change is not a bad one.

Connor looked at the blueprint in his hand.

"Blast furnace? Steam engine?" Connor didn't know much about these things. He just felt that the drawings looked very complicated, and he wondered if the old blacksmith on the island could handle it.

Putting the blueprint in his arms, Connor sighed and recalled what happened not long ago.

He was woken this morning by the flustered maid.

He knew the maid, her name was Zoe, and she had been taking care of Master Hughes in the Duke of Cohen's territory. This time, she came to Castel Island at Master Hughes's strong request.

This is actually a bit against the rules. Male nobles generally do not choose female servants as their personal servants, as they will be laughed at by others and it is also easy to cause trouble.

For example, when going out hunting or other activities, it is not convenient to always take the baby with you and take care of his daily life.

But Master Xius doted on him a little too much.

Connor sighed. Maybe Hughes and Zoe had some affair, but it was the young master's private matter. He would neither care nor inquire about it.

A qualified butler should ask fewer questions and do more. This is the experience he has summarized from his decades of career as a butler.

But not taking the initiative to learn doesn't mean he knows nothing.

So when Master Xius was in a coma, he arranged for Zoe to keep watch over him. He knew that Zoe would do her best to fulfill her responsibilities.

So when he saw Zoe's panicked expression, he felt a pang in his heart.

Sure enough, something went wrong.

Master Hughes has disappeared.

Connor immediately organized the servants to search the manor carefully, and he even went to Zeus's bedroom in person to look for clues.

The result was strange, there was no sign of intrusion in the manor.

There were no additional traces in Hughes' bedroom. The windows were closed tightly and there were no signs of the door lock being pried open.

There would be no problem with the people guarding outside the manor. As for the servants, Connor asked them one by one, and what they said was consistent with each other, and they did not seem to be bribed.

How did Narcissus disappear?
Contrary to what most people imagine, it is almost impossible to kidnap the owner of a house that is guarded and inhabited.

All successful cases in history were accomplished with the cooperation of insiders.

Therefore, Connor immediately took control of everyone in the manor and checked them one by one.

He did not alarm the soldiers outside. He did not want to make a big deal out of it. Besides, the mobilization of soldiers had to go through the chief clerk Alexi, who was a member of the royal family.

Besides, mobilizing soldiers would not be very effective. Instead, it would be more likely to allow the people in the manor to take advantage of the situation and transport Zeus away.

Yes, Connor suspected that Hughes was still in the manor as soon as the incident happened.

Even if there is an insider who cooperates and kidnaps Xiu Si, it will be difficult to transport him out of the manor in the first place. The night watchmen in the manor are absolutely reliable, and it is almost impossible to get past them.

To be able to attack a lord like Zeus, the other side must have a strict organization. Who could it be?

Gem Bay? Those pirates are capable of anything, but their preferred method is to drive their fleet into your face and demand payment. Besides, they'll be arriving today, and negotiations will begin soon.

The old duke's enemies? Perhaps, but was Hughes really that important? The old duke doted on Hughes, but he wasn't senile enough to make such a big mistake for a bastard.

So, could it be.
Connor's gaze passed the window and fell on the distance.

There is a tall spire, and on top of the roof is a metal plate with a picture engraved on it.

A lit candle burns quietly in the dark night.

That is the church logo, that is the Candlelight Church church.

(End of this chapter)