Angel on earth

02 two rumors

The whole small town was joyously taking action to welcome the saints. The streets and alleys of the main city were filled with festive flowers and ribbons, and the city government also generously allocated a sum of money for repairing the shops along the street; only little Catherine of the Chicherin family Not happy because that meant her birthday party was ruined.

But when it comes to fasts and fasts like that, the doctors in the city make a lot of money.The pharmacists dispensed nutritional medicines to the pious old ladies, and some people went to private clinics to eat meat and drink in the name of seeing a doctor.After all, people say that they are devout and religious, but everyone feels in their hearts that it is all the same.Compared with the holy city separated by the ocean and the reef, the people of Potosi are culturally closer to the Siegfried Federation where evil gods and heretics are rampant. After all, the baptism is similar to the skirt that Iris popular last year, except that the church is here. Things seem to be more careful.

But Dr. Arnold Edwards did not go along with them, saying that he would fast, and he would not eat any extra sips of rice soup.According to a series of standard sizes and weight units issued by the church, the doctor is nearly 1.9 meters tall, as thin as a ghost, and even his handsome cheeks have some harsh lines—it is said that he strictly abides by the commandments of the church, and even takes his own initiative For prayer's sake.This is not groundless. Patients often come to see the doctor give their lunch or dinner to the maid who does the laundry by the river, but they can't help being hungry and go to the garden to pick flower petals to eat.The doctor is 36 years old, and looks like he is in his early 20s, so for a while, the ladies and wives in the city are quite superstitious about flower therapy, often replacing the morning and afternoon biscuits with flowers and scented tea.

On this day, the mayor and his wife quarreled again.The mayor went to the monastery by car to visit his children, and his wife brought the maid to the clinic to take a bath, and ordered a bunch of white roses that were rarely seen in this season at the largest flower shop in Chalek.As soon as they sat down in the living room, the mayor who got the news turned around halfway, and the carriage almost knocked down an old man.

There are three trees in the front yard of the clinic. The oak tree is the tallest. There is a well and some tables and chairs under it. The cherry tree and willow tree are on the other side.It was July now, and in the small pond under the shade of the cherry trees, white water lilies were dotted, and the lilac bushes by the fence were in full bloom.When the mayor arrived, Arnold was pulling up his shirt sleeves and picking plump lilacs into the basket one by one.The mayor squeezed out of the carriage panting with a beer belly, his curly beard was wet, and the coachman went to the well to fetch cold water for a drink.

The weather was hot, and all three of them sweated a lot.Arnold pushed his repaired and badly worn glasses, pretending not to see the button of the mayor's coat that was about to be undone, and said: "Mr. It's going to rain, taking a hot bath can prevent the disease."

The mayor waved his hand, followed him into the clinic, took off his coat and vest, loosened his tie, turned to the right, and called out: "Yevka!"

Madam was drinking tea. Hearing this, she glanced at his soaked shirt with distaste, called the maid to close the curtains, and said to the kitchen, "Katya, bring some sugar!"

Arnold hurried out from behind the door curtain, turned into the kitchen and brought out a tray. In addition to sugar and cream, there were some confectionery on it, which didn't look very delicate.He scratched his hair and said, "Sorry, ma'am, Katya has gone home."

The mayor took the tea poured by his maid, and condemned: "People nowadays have less and less spirit of contract. I didn't say, doctor, you are too kind to the servants. These lazy women are like this, before they find a job , looking for people to complain about, to ensure that their hands and feet are clean and work neatly, the government should give them jobs; after getting to know you well, it’s another matter. I don’t think this is the first time this kind of thing has happened?”

"Of course not!" The mayor's wife was more angry than Arnold, and put the teacup on the coffee table. "A woman like Katerina, if the doctor is not decent, I think she—"

"Almost." Arnold interrupted vaguely, "She's a bit lazy. Clean hands and feet are rare these days, so I haven't dared to hire a housemaid."

The mayor laughed: "I thought the doctor was stingy."

Arnold raised his eyebrows: "It's obviously you who are stingy. After all these years, I have to solve the police matter with Mr. Tochicherin."

"The one in the middle is always the most comfortable." The mayor waved his hand and took a sip of herbal tea, "Oh, you should drink something cool in summer. How many people are staring at me? If something goes wrong, those people are like flies It can be called last summer."

Arnold just said casually, and immediately turned to the mayor's wife: "The water is ready, madam, get ready. And—is Afjay right? Do you remember how to serve your wife?" See the mayor's wife's personal maid Nodding, he nodded too, looked at the clock in the living room, "A quarter of an hour, you guys will come over in a quarter of an hour."

With that said, he turned and exited the living room, and went back to prepare the medicinal bath.On the first floor, there are only the kitchen and bathroom, and the washroom has walls and doors. There is only a cloth curtain between the living room and the hall on the left, and the consulting room. The other partitions are three or two screens.The clinic is not big, and there are hospital beds, equipment, herbs, wine barrels soaked in snakes and strange animal bones, etc., and even the living room in the inner room has cabinets reaching to the ceiling, which looks extremely crowded, but it is still clean tidy.

The bathroom is quite big, after all, it is the signature of the clinic.The bath is a stone circular pool more than one meter deep and nearly three meters in diameter that sinks into the ground. Hot water, herbs and fresh flower petals have been placed in it, and scented candles are burning at the four corners of the bathroom.This is a popular pastime among the wives of Chalek, and it is said to enhance attractiveness and improve physical condition.There are quite a few bathhouses and doctors in the city, but Miracle Clinic has the most formulas for medicine packs, and you can always find a scent and curative effect that you like; neither the bathhouse owner nor other doctors hate Arnold. He is the promoter of this trend, and customers who can't get an appointment with Dr. Edwards will settle for the next best thing, which will naturally allow others to have an additional low-cost and high-return income.

When the mayor's wife smelled the scent, she knew that it was a formula she often used to relieve emotions and enhance personal charm. She smiled and said, "Dr. Edwards, you should go to the court to mediate those emotional disputes."

Arnold wiped his foggy glasses and sighed: "You only brought your maid with you when you came today, ma'am, if Mr. Mayor doesn't come today, I wouldn't dare to prepare this for you."

The madam said a few more words, scolded the mayor back and forth, and led the maid into the house.Arnold helped close the wooden door at the back, moved the teapot and snacks to a place by himself, and sat outside the wooden door with the mayor and waited—some people would pass out in the hot water bath, and Arnold had to go in at that time, Then he and the ladies inside had to go to the monastery and fast for three days.

The mayor's wife was different from other ladies and ladies. She never ignored the doctor's order to calm down and chatted with the two of them through the wooden door.Arnold heard her mention Mikhail, so he asked one more question:

"Sorry, ma'am, you know that I am originally from the Commonwealth. Even though I often go to the monastery, the church here doesn't trust me for the time being. Of course, I have no complaints about this. It's all for Mithra, our sun god—but you I know, curiosity. Uh, isn't His Royal Highness Kupala only 16 years old?"

"Yeah." The mayor took a bite of the biscuit, thought it didn't taste very good, changed it to a pie, and said vaguely, "Who knows. Maybe it's... you know, two years from now, it's a thousand years later. On the [-]th anniversary, the federal war has been fought for too long, and if it is left for two years, no one will look good. Well, this cream pie is good, and Katya still has some strengths."

"That was done by Mrs. Avdeyevna on Chestnut Street." Arnold pointed out, "He has been in the Federation for more than a year, and it is too cruel to go to the battlefield before he is 15 years old."

The mayor happily took out a small notebook from his pocket and wrote down Avdeyevna on Chestnut Tree Street, and said indifferently: "She is the son of God. Whether it is true or not, there must be some record or something. The Federation People are a bunch of pigs with no kindness and no brains. Before that, the civil war could be fought for seven or eight years, which is terrifying. However, in fact, many people think that the war in the Siegfried Federation is..."

"Arnold is asking me! What are you talking about?" The mayor's wife was not really angry, "That's what Father Paisi told me, please don't tell me. Doctor, is the sound insulation here okay? "

"No one will enter the yard, and I think the walls are fine." Arnold thought about it seriously, "Tell me. No one will hear you."

The mayor's wife took a sip of the drink to moisten her throat, and she was in high spirits:

"Afjay, go and get some pies, and I'll have a taste too.—His Royal Highness Kupala, the church has always declared that he is an angel walking on the earth, and he has been like this since he was born 16 years ago. Of course, his Those deeds, speaking in one month, joining the Holy Knight Order at the age of five, forging his own lance and sword at the age of seven, defeating the "Master of War" Hill at the age of 14 - I don't doubt it, saints, even if There is nothing special about him, and he is always blessed by the gods. But he has a typical Siegfried name, and it may be our Potosi. Then push back, his father should be called Ivan so-and-so. Kupala. Doctor, you are originally from the Federation, have you heard of that 'Kupala'?"

Afjay knocked on the door, and the two men turned away.The maid came out nimbly with a tray, took a piece of pie, added tea and sugar, and went back through the wooden sliding door.

Arnold turned back and picked up the tea cup: "The Federation has Kupala Festival, but no one knows who it commemorates. It was merged with August Festival in the early years. In short, it is a festival of eating and drinking. Ivan, it is everywhere, Even the emperor whose head was beheaded by His Highness a few days ago is called Ivan."

"You can't say that!" The mayor's wife hurriedly interrupted, a little annoyed, "I didn't say it, and neither did Father Paisi. Maybe he took his mother's name... In short, the priest confirmed that His Highness is indeed Indeed the Son of God, an angel on earth."

The two men outside the wooden door gasped contentedly.The mayor sighed: "No wonder the church is so confident in letting a 15-year-old kid lead the army. It turns out that he really thinks he is the Lord of Armies. - Ah, stinky bitch, it depends on you coming here to enjoy... I almost Forgot to inspect the road works!"

"What does it matter?" the mayor's wife said, "We must let His Highness see our efforts. The environment is so poor, but everyone is devout, and even the stomachs of the upper and lower districts can be filled! Besides, this person is Afraid of comparison. The life of the serfs in the Siegfried Federation is miserable. The factories across the strait are said to be full of vagrants and plagues. Our Potosi is very good. Only comparison can make people move. Maybe His Highness will return in a few years. Will remember us Chalek."

"That's what you said." The mayor was a little depressed, and his voice became quieter, but the lady could still hear, "Oh, I also heard from the people in the monastery...Your Highness, they may not live in the monastery this time, they will go to the common area Come experience life."

"What did you say—?!" The mayor's wife raised her voice two degrees, "Then the monastery is still under construction?! I took three hundred gold coins from the city hall! Three hundred! Chalek's annual tax Is there three hundred?! A group of blood-sucking insects, unlucky eggs, lazy fat pigs!"

"That's still there." The mayor retorted, with a frowning face, and even the cream pie in his hand was no longer fragrant, "I really don't want to worry about it, let your highness live in the slums, live in the lower district, ordinary soldiers live If you are sick, you can come to Arnold directly, and everyone in the city government will be willing to pay extra money to incense the streets—if there are streets there. Maybe His Highness has experienced the Lower District, and he can stand by our side and make those messes The factory has been dismantled. It’s just that the priest said that, doesn’t it mean that the monastery doesn’t pay and let the city hall take care of it? During the fasting period, you can’t hold a fundraising ball!”

"A bunch of liars who are obsessed with money!" The mayor's wife scolded, and was startled by the word "liar" again, and quickly changed the subject, "Forget it, there is another rumor, I don't know if you have heard of it. This one There are probably quite a few people who know about it, but to be on the safe side, it’s better not to spread the word everywhere——that His Royal Highness Kupala almost failed to keep his chastity. It’s not about his ‘Chastity Prayer’.”

Arnold laughed.The mayor looked at him strangely for a while, and said clearly: "Yes. It's quite strange. It's already very strange for the saints to lead the army to kill people. As for knights, spirit is one thing, but doing it is another What happened. Where are they, where are the girls... Well, Yevka, go on."

The mayor's wife was enjoying the maid's massage, but her tone of voice became sneaky according to the content:

"The Principality of White is trying to marry the Mithra Dynasty. The Principality of White is separated from the Kingdom of Iris. It is a small place, not worth mentioning. Anyone can see that the new queen is disgusting their eldest princess, After all, they have a bad relationship, and everyone knows it. If the queen does not give birth to offspring, Snow White will be the next queen, and she will definitely not end well."

"Nine times out of ten, there won't be any." The doctor took a sip of the cold tea made from lilacs, put his left leg on his right, and smiled, "Birth is not a matter for one person. The queen is young, and the king doesn't say half a baby." The feet are in the grave, and the fertility is almost the same. You see, he and the previous queen have had a child with Princess Snow for so long, and there are obviously some problems at first. This is getting old...Madam, you are lucky, Mr. Mayor, everything It's normal. You know, the probability of men having problems after entering middle age is more than half!"

The mayor and his wife laughed knowingly.The mayor put down his teacup and said cheerfully towards the wooden door: "Yevka, our age is not bad, give me another son, balance it out!"

There was a messy sound of water coming from inside, and the wife could vaguely hear her spitting.She took a sip of sweet tea, cleared her throat and continued, "Princess Xue Nuo is also stupid enough to run away. After a few more years of patience, the whole principality will be in charge of her? It's good now, maybe it will be adopted from which family?" A son passed by. Well, the queen is still young, maybe...but the princess was only 11 years old at that time, and it was normal for her to be ignorant—it should be fifteen this year, and her age can indeed be considered for Her Majesty Kupala. I heard that both of them Pretty, and should be a good match. But how can saints marry?"

The mayor chuckled: "That's not necessarily the case. Just think about 'Salvation from Calamity' Maria."

The mayor's wife snorted again.It was a scandal during the Third Jihad that was turned into a good story because of the church's candid attitude: once one of the Twelve Saints, the queen of Verus Island, and Mary the "Redemption of Calamity" claimed to be inspired by God to be pregnant She gave birth to a child, but it was later revealed that she married someone early and gave birth to a stillbirth.Mary was burned to death on the stake, and the pope personally lit the fire. St. Peter II was also in great pain for the mistakes of the church. After fasting and praying for a week, he was called by the Lord.The church did not hide the situation, spread the truth through churches and monasteries at all levels, and generously admitted its mistakes. For a while, many people were moved by this and were baptized into the church.

Arnold was very surprised: "Where can Princess Xue Nuo escape? Potosi is considered good. Isn't the kingdom of Aerys in turmoil every day? The merchant hangs the nobleman on the street lamp, it's a mess!"

"This is the key point!" The mayor's wife was elated when she saw that he was in the suit. "This cream pie is really good. Well, Her Royal Highness went to the Mithra Dynasty and joined the Holy Knights! And that team is in Kuwait. In the name of His Royal Highness Pala, I don’t know if they will come together this time.”

Both men froze.It was the mayor who came to his senses first and sneered: "It's a rumor. I said, why can't you tell the difference between a man and a woman?"

"She was only 11 years old at that time." Arnold commented fairly, "She didn't grow up, maybe she couldn't tell the difference."

"Don't talk about the Holy Knights, can she keep up with the training of the general army?" The mayor shook his head, "I think, at most, a kid surnamed White was recruited, and it became like this when someone with a heart processed it. Girls love to hear that!"

The mayor's wife sneered: "If this is true, what do you say?"

"Don't say anything!" cried the mayor, rising to his feet.Arnold wisely picked up the dishes and went to the kitchen to wash them. The maid's exclamation and the sound of the mayor jumping into the sink came from behind him.

The maid then ran out in a panic to get clothes from the carriage.By the time the couple finished their tossing around and were fully dressed and sitting in the living room to rest, Dr. Edwards had finished taking the medicine for a new patient and was sending him out.

A police officer entered the yard.The patient was startled, and hurried away with the medicine bag, but a tabby cat walked over, rubbed against the doctor's trousers, and fell limply.Arnold found a small piece of dried meat in his pocket, knelt down to feed it, and waved his hand at the police officer: "Mr. Mayor and Mrs. will come out soon. Mr. Police Officer——"

"Is Mr. Mayor here?" the police officer asked, shaking his head. "That's right. Dr. Edwards, we are here to see you, but this matter should also be reported to Mr. and Mrs. Mayor..."

Arnold brewed for a while, ready to recite his "I am a good citizen, the Siegfried Federation has nothing to do with me, etc., etc."

"What's wrong?" Hearing the voice, the mayor walked out while buttoning his vest.He focuses on the people-friendly line, and rarely bothers his servants to help him dress, although sometimes it is difficult for him to tidy himself up without the help of his servants.

The police officer bowed to him: "Good afternoon, Mr. Mayor. That's right, little Catherine of the Chicherin family is missing. We have investigated all the acquaintances of the Chicherin family, and only the clinic is left."

Arnold patted Cat's head and stood up, frowning: "Catherine has never been here before, how old is she and can run so far? - When did she disappear? If she really came in the direction of the lower district, it would be very dangerous." about..."

The police officer glanced at the mayor, saw the latter nodding, and then said seriously: "According to the testimony of Anna, the maid of the Chicherin family, Miss Catherine and Miss Olga had a dispute at nine o'clock last night, and it lasted until ten o'clock when they went to bed. Still angry. After the maid Aksinya turned off the lights and left, Miss Catherine did not go out, and the house check at two o'clock in the morning found nothing abnormal. At six quarters in the morning, Aksinya went to wake the lady up and waited for her to wash , preparing for the dance class in the morning, and found that there was only one pillow in the bed, and the lady was missing. The two concierges said that no one came in and out at night, but..."

"There is a problem with the concierge!" The mayor's wife said angrily, "How many times have I told Dasha that all the servants in their house are lazy pigs, they should be dismissed and rushed to the lower district to be with those idle poor Sleep in a pigsty!"

Arnold narrowed his eyes: "The top priority is to find Catherine. Mr. Police Officer, is there anything else you haven't looked for?"

"Time is tight, so we can't check every household. However, Mr. Chicherin offered a reward of 50 gold coins. I think those people should have dug through the floorboards of their neighbors." The police officer resisted the urge to shrug his shoulders, "The rest Next, apart from the city, there are slums and the Nestling Abbey—Doctor, you look a little nervous?"

"Of course I'm nervous!" The doctor suddenly roared, "That's fine in the upper district, but the lower district doesn't care that much! It doesn't matter which family you belong to, just a little girl, the money is taken away from you, and you throw it into the well. Who else can find it?! They don't believe that they can get a bounty by taking Catherine into the city!"

He has been busy all afternoon, and his already frizzy hair is not very docile, and now a few strands of gray hair are shaking on his forehead with his movements, his glasses are crooked, and his face is still a little sweaty, making him look quite Embarrassed.The mayor's wife came out to make a rescue: "Forget it, Mr. Inspector, we all know that Arnold is very concerned about little Catherine. But it should not be a convent. Catherine's child is good for everything, beautiful and smart, but unfortunately..."

"Maybe." Arnold gradually calmed down after speaking, touched his chin, straightened the sleeves of the shirt that were rolled up at the elbows, and said while buttoning the buttons, "I think she was angry about the birthday party. At this age The little girl can't tell anyone, so I'll go to the monastery and ask. Besides, Terekin hasn't come yet, so I have to see the priest."

The mayor glanced at his wife, a little guilty: "The monastery is up to you, doctor. Say hello to Father Vasily for us...I have to go and see how the road is being repaired!"

The lady said: "Do you have a conscience?! Forget it, you can go by car, Afujie, let's go to Dasha's house to see her. Doctor, please prepare some medicines that Dasha needs, and I will take them there together .”

Arnold nodded, went into the room, and soon came out with a wooden box about ten centimeters in length, and handed it to the maid.Two carriages diverged into two roads at the end of the street. The doctor carried a wooden medicine box wrapped in old cowhide and put a wide-brimmed hat on his head. After leaving the lower district, he also stopped a carriage and hurried towards the monastery. .

The civilian carriage couldn't enter the upper district, so Arnold paid five copper coins and got off at the end of Lemon Street.The upper district is said to be better than the lower district. The residents at least have stable jobs. Whether it is for the monastery or for the former nobles to take care of the farmland at the foot of the mountain, they can always get at least a quarter of the harvest; but the residential area It is almost as crowded as the lower area, with small stalls selling fried food and rotten fruits crowded together, there are no clear storefronts, only four or five small roads can be vaguely divided; The father waved the sickle together.

The sun was almost setting by now.Arnold pressed the brim of his hat, glanced secretly at a corner, and strode towards the holy mountain.

A skeletal hand reached out.Before the sleeves were put on, Arnold turned around sharply, but the hand shyly retracted.

It was a little boy with sunken eyes and a sallow complexion.Although thin, but the clothes fit well, and there is a pair of shoes of the right size, the whole person looks clean.

Arnold glanced at the Nestling Monastery, which was shining with a golden silhouette under the setting sun, and asked, "What's the matter?"

The little boy was obsequious and kept staring at him.Arnold had an ominous premonition, but he didn't think too much about it at this time, and casually threw him a copper coin: "Go. If someone in the family is sick, there is a new public welfare clinic on Lemon Street, free of charge."

The little boy picked up the copper coin, while biting the edge to confirm the authenticity, a pair of big brown eyes stared at him without blinking.

For some reason, Arnold just stood there and stared at him for a long time, until a boy dressed as a postman ran over and shouted: "Ivan! What are you doing here?! -Doctor, you are Edwards Doctor, isn't it? I'm so sorry, Ivan is running around..."

"You are?" Arnold was taken aback.He didn't know the postman, but Ivan—the same Ivan who asked him to see a doctor at home more than ten days ago.Although he was still skinny, he didn't recognize him when he had clothes that fit him.

"Jit, my name is Jit, Kit Ivanovic. Ivan's brother. I'm sorry, Dr. Edwards, I'm so sorry, but Ivan is always running around. If I had known, I wouldn't have bought him shoes. ... Hey, I just got this job last week, but these shoes don't cost money. The kind supervisor gave me the clothes of the young master, which are the clothes of the young master... Oh, thank you too White bread!"

With an obvious sneer on Jit's face, he bowed again and again, wiped his hands on his trouser legs, but still felt embarrassed to reach out.Arnold was a little embarrassed: "Bread is for healing... Forget it. It's almost night, if you get off work, take Ivan back."

Ivan shook his head quickly, and a blush appeared on Jit's tanned face: "In the evening, there will be another job in a while. Thanks to Mithra, our father, I have found three jobs... We can all fill up this winter Stomach. Mr. Director said that if I work harder, I will be able to eat white bread every week for a few years...Mr. Director is a good man, doctor, is this true?"

"I don't know." Arnold was a little impatient, and suddenly thought of something, "Do you work in the upper district at night?"

"Yes, sir, it is..."

Arnold interrupted: "Do you know a lot of people? Anyone is fine. It's best to be outside during the day, who can see pedestrians and don't do much work."

"There are a lot of people like that, but I'm trying to avoid them, I heard..."

Jit didn't finish speaking, his eyes straightened: Arnold took out a square gold coin.Unlike the round gold coins in Potosí and most countries, the water patterns and stars on the back should be made by the Siegfried Federation, but they are still gold coins.

Arnold squatted down, the gold coin flashed through his slender knuckles, and disappeared into the black gloves: "Help me find out if anyone has seen a little girl. 12 years old, about 1.3 meters five, brown With green eyes, you should be well dressed. As long as there is news, this gold coin is yours."

He didn't mention the reward offered by Chicherin's family, and no one could say whether someone would find Catherine first and then kidnap her.Jit disappeared almost immediately, but Ivan stayed where he was.Arnold touched his pocket and handed him a candy.There are many children who have a tricky mouth, and they will be mourned for a long time after taking a medicine. Sugar may not have an effect, but the meaning will be obtained.

Arnold was thinking wildly, and he didn't care about the curious eyes cast by the people in the upper district.Ivan licked it carefully, wrapped the candy wrapper back, and put it carefully in his pocket.Arnold gritted his teeth and gave him another piece: "Eat it quickly after licking it. If you leave it like that, it will go bad tomorrow. Leave it to your brother? He will die!"

Ivan was startled, embarrassed, put the original piece of candy into his mouth, squinted his eyes and enjoyed it cherishingly for a while, and finally said vaguely: "It's not for brother."

Arnold shrugged.Ivan boldly grabbed his fingers, raised his head and said, "Leave it to my sister."

Arnold looked at Jit in the distance, casually: "I didn't see her last time. Does she work here?"

Ivan looked at the top of the mountain and pulled his fingers: "My sister is here. I..."

"—I found it, sir!" Kit ran over cheerfully, panting even though he was used to working, "I found some people... ha, ha, they, ha... by the river , by the river, there was a girl, and in the evening a man took her there on horseback, and bought a kettle and black bread from Peter's shop. They went into the forest..."

Arnold hurriedly handed the gold coins to Jit, ignored the latter's cheers, ran north for a while, turned back to Lemon Street, bought two bags of bread and pastries, and threw two bags to Ivan. Run in the forest.

He ran fast in the forest, and among the bushes he passed by, a few sparrows on the branches were even chirping proudly.Soon he smelled Catherine, and was about to speed up when a dangerous premonition forced him to stop.

Arnold gasped suddenly.The sun had completely set behind the holy mountain, and the forest was pitch black. The tall and lush forests were overgrown with bushes, and the shadows howled and trembled in the evening wind.He walked up the mountain for a while, and the rocks on the surface gradually increased, and there was still a smell of blood.Not Catherine's blood.No, it's windy tonight... and there's a smell of burnt flesh.There shouldn't be any man-eating monsters near the monastery.

Arnold looked around for a while, stepped on a stone carefully, and walked downhill in the other direction.He went out in a hurry, still wearing moccasins, and the rocks on the mountain were very rough.But can't count that much.Desperate people are common, there are more willful and unlucky girls like Catherine, and Potosí is relatively peaceful... but there are fewer Arnold Edwards.Arnold found himself begging God to bless Catherine, and couldn't help but sneer.

He accidentally laughed, and there was a short scream from the bushes ahead to the left.Arnold didn't care about anything else, rushed over in two or three steps, and shouted, "Catherine!"

He called Catherine twice again, but she was still running vigorously, and he caught her by the collar of his back coat.Catherine was terrified, only to hear someone call her name, and then a man jumped up and grabbed her.Arnold comforted her kindly for a long time before she recovered, looked at him with big green eyes, threw herself into his arms, and cried loudly.

"Arnold! Arnold! Woohoo...doctor...wow...!"

She was crying weakly, and Arnold squatted on the ground, patted her on the back, and said softly: "It's okay, it's going to be okay, Catherine. I brought cake and milk, eat some. Your parents won't be angry, They have prepared dinner and hot water and are waiting for you to go home." After a pause, he said, "There will be no wolves, if a wolf comes, I will cut off its neck and hang it in your father's study .Hasn't Mr. Chicherin always wanted a pendant like that?"

Catherine was still crying, Arnold had no choice but to let her vent for a while, took off his coat and put it on her, coaxing her to eat cake and milk.The little girl gobbled it up, without any elegance, and finally hiccupped, not knowing whether it was full or crying, and wiped her mouth in embarrassment, only to find out that she was using Arnold's coat after wiping.

Arnold knelt on the ground to deal with the abrasions on her body. Now he patted her on the head, hugged her, and said:

"Don't worry, just sleep for a while, and you'll be down the mountain when you wake up."

Catherine shook her head violently: "I don't sleep, I don't sleep, I don't sleep!"

Maybe it's because I'm too nervous, I'm afraid it's fake.Arnold said helplessly: "Okay, then don't sleep. There is no moon tonight, and many bad guys will fall to their deaths."

Catherine said, "You're kidding me again!"

Arnold was very embarrassed, how could he coax a little girl, besides, didn't he pass the level by just telling some stories before?

Catherine twisted restlessly in his arms, saying "your coat is so cold" for a while, and helping him adjust his glasses for a while, almost causing him to slide down a slope.Arnold was not angry, so Catherine said guiltily: "I'm sorry, doctor... I didn't mean to, let me tell you a secret."

Arnold showed a smile as gentle as possible: "Okay."

Catherine was not afraid. She found a safe angle in her arms, leaned into his ear, and whispered, "I'm not afraid of bad guys. The bad guys have been killed."

The clouds suddenly dispersed for a moment, and the brilliance of the moon wandered through the forest.At that moment, the doctor's pupils seemed to shrink, and Catherine reached out to touch his glasses curiously.

The doctor's voice was always a little hoarse, and it was even more seductive in the silent woods: "Who killed him?"

Catherine blinked her eyes, lowered her voice excitedly, and said almost breathlessly, "Micah!"

Arnold gave her a look that startled her.Arnold had never looked at her like this before, and it looked frightened and terrifying.She froze for a moment, became angry, and said aggrievedly: "What I said is true! If you don't believe it, forget it, and I will ignore you in the future!"

After finishing speaking, she felt a little guilty, after all, she had to rely on Arnold to get out of the forest.Arnold didn't bother to remember this, he gritted his teeth for a while, and said hoarsely: "Why do you think it's Micah?"

"Huh?" Catherine was still thinking about how to apologize, but was interrupted by him, and she replied in a daze, "He, I mean that bad guy, grabbed me up the mountain, and I called for help, and then I thought of Micah's Stories, he always appears in unexpected places, doesn’t he? I shouted in my heart, Micah, Micah, sure enough, the villain put me down because the horse fell on the ground and didn’t move. He went to see the horse, and I also Somehow, shout 'Micah', and a flame rises up and burns them to death."

arnold listen