157 The Thames Gate (1/2)
”The butcher?” Ye Qingxuan had the urge to laugh. ”He hates me. Are you sure he won’t try to kill me?”
Ghosthand chuckled. ”Mr. Holmes, there are two types of killers. The first kind are like me. We kill to reach a certain goal. But the other kind is a true ‘killer.’ To them, ‘killing’ and ‘goals’ aren’t important. What’s important is the money and working for their employer.
”It’s their work ethic. They’ll work hard if there’s money. And if there isn’t money, they won’t do anything even if their family is dying before their eyes. The butcher is that type of person.
”We’ve already contacted him and reserved all of his time in the next month. Seeing as we’re giving him money orders, he’ll definitely work well with you.”
”Hopefully.”
--
It was the afternoon of the next day. Dozens of burly Asgardians were grouped at the warehouse near an abandoned port in downtown. Under the orders of a middle-aged man, servants transported an endless stream of wooden boxes from the carriages. Seventeen large boxes lay in scattered piles on the ground. With every box hauled in, the men waiting in the warehouse would breathe a little heavier. Their eyes practically shone.
The man with a monocle checked the order list and nodded, telling the servants to leave. Quickly, the door closed and the only light was the dim sunlight shining through the warehouse’s broken roof.
Beside a wooden box, the excited Werner jumped up and grasped the monocle man’s hand. ”You’ve worked hard, Mr. Hall.”
Hall gave a reserved chuckle. He subtly retracted his hand and handed over a crowbar. ”The gifts from the parliament are all here. Mr. Werner, you can check.”
”No need.” Werner waved his hand, rejecting the crowbar. He clenched his fist and punched the box. His calloused fist was like a steel hammer, crushing the corner of the box.
Using both of his hands, Werner tore the box apart. Sunlight fell onto it and the armaments sleeping between hay and cloth shone with a chilling glint. He smirked and grabbed a sabre. He gazed at the blade under the sun, studying the beautiful designs of the crystals. He reached to the side.
His men understood immediately. One man took out his dagger and chopped down on the blade! There was a whistle and then the ringing of metal clashing. With a clank, the broken dagger fell to the ground. The underling gaped at the vibrating sabre in Werner’s hands. There was not even a dent on the blade.
Seeing his men’s shock, Werner laughed. ”This is high grade forging with the secret formula from the Woratian people and made from the third Royal factory. Its codename is Dragon Scale III. After a batch is produced, the general must test a random sword. If it can’t break through armor, the entire batch needs to be brought back.
”There are twenty swords per box, so there are two hundred swords in total. It’s enough for you trained soldiers to destroy the nobodies under the Shaman!”
Werner opened the other boxes with the crowbar. Under the blazing eyes of the Asgardians, he lifted the heavy cloth. ”Here are also twenty military crossbows. Each bow has fifty three-sided arrows that can pierce through armor. You can have a feast.” Seeing the crossbows, Werner’s eyes turned red with want. But he became unsatisfied after gulping. ”There aren’t enough bows.”
”Military crossbows are different from regular bows. With intense use, each bow can be used fifty times. As a former soldier, you should know this. You might not even use a bow fifty times in a battle. How is it not enough?” Hall asked.
Werner chuckled and did not reply. He wielded the sabre. The sword was a head taller than him but it danced like a stalk of hay in his hands and left a gash in the wall easily.
Finally, Werner grunted and slammed the sword down. With a crack, the heavy sword buried deep into the stone. It went past the foundations and was buried to the hilt. For a soldier, weapons were more tempting than women, especially something as powerful as this blade. It was more satisfying than the most beautiful and seductive woman.
Ignoring his impatient underlings, Werner glanced at Hall and sighed meaningfully. ”This is all good stuff. Are you really sure about giving it to us?”
”Aren’t weapons like utensils to the Asgardians?” Hall answered, ignoring the question. ”You don’t see such a large feast every day. The parliament has already prepared the plates and utensils. How much you can eat depends on yourself.” As soon as he spoke, the Asgardians laughed, caressing their blades.
”Of course.” The scar on Werner’s face seemed to bleed with excitement. ”Asgardians are eternally hungry. We will never be satisfied!”
Seeing their excitement, disdain flashed past Hall’s eyes, but he continued smiling warmly. He guided Werner to the last box. ”Those are all for your men. Your gift is here.”
Unlike the other wooden boxes, this one was made of metal. It was seamless and if not for the keyhole, Werner would have thought that it was a solid clump of metal. When the box was opened, he practically stopped breathing.
Inside the box was a puddle of clear liquid with a subtle harsh smell. But compared to the giant object submerged in the liquid, the smell was nothing. Submerged in the liquid was a sleeping ”steel giant.” This armor was able to cover his entire body, but it was more special and menacing than regular armor. The spikes on the helmet were close to two meters tall. With the care of the liquid, it shone like new, as if it had just come out of the factory; however, one could vaguely see scratches and marks from the battlefield.
On the armor’s back, there were two giant sockets where there should have been wings. But even without the wings, this ”giant” was still fear-inducing. Submerged in the oil, it looked as if it was sleeping, and even heavy breathing would wake it from its dreams and…begin killing!
”This…” Werner stroked the metal shell with trembling fingers. ”Is this the archangel armor?”
Behind him, Hall laughed. ”Yes.”
Centuries ago, alchemists of the Royal Research Institution used the blueprint of the Round Table Knights’ holy armor to create the first generation of archangel armor. As limited edition armaments, they became a frightful site on the battlefield. When the royal knights rode into battle with archangel armor, they brought with them eternal death and nightmares.
Thirty years ago, when Anglo and the Burgundy Empire began to fight over historical remains, six knights in archangel armor were ordered to guard the Voodoo Crypt with their lives. Their opponent was the Burgundian Plantanaget Legion.
The archangels guarded for four days and nights. The Plantanaget Legion charged sixteen times and left behind sixteen layers of corpses. Finally, the legion from the Burgundian capital arrived and took control of the historical site. At that time, the Anglo reinforcements were only a few hundred kilometers away. If they had another archangel armor, the result would be entirely different.
”Mr. Werner, what do you think? Are you satisfied with this gift?” Hall asked with a smile. ”It’s an old model from the first generation and doesn’t have the aid of wings, but the parliament really worked hard on this gift.”
Werner stared at the armor in pure ecstasy. Finally, he calmed down and shut the box. He took a deep breath and exhaled out the heat in his body. ”Tell the parliament that I’m very satisfied.” Lowering his head, he leered in the darkness. ”I’ll use it to take the Shaman’s head.”
Hall smiled. Putting on his hat, he nodded and left.
--
Today was a busy day for Avalon. Busy figures rushed down the streets and carriages galloped down the roads. They passed down order after order, list after list. Those that received an order set out to kill. Those whose name appeared on the list would be killed. The warehouses in the pier, the secret rooms of Ganlu City, the cold and elegant mansions…
Strong servants moved heavy wooden boxes to the last stop before the battlefield. They distributed these ”toys” amongst the men who had nothing but their lives. The entire city was filled with a dangerous feeling. It was the feeling suffused with the rotting smell of the sewer and spread with the wind—it was bloody. Night fell gradually, darkening gradually.
--
”Is Bai Xi sleeping?”
”You took her out to shop for the entire day. She started yawning as soon as she got back and is probably sleeping now. She was exhausted.”
”She’ll probably have a good dream, right?” With a sigh, Ye Qingxuan bid Charles farewell, put on his hunting hat, and pushed the door open.
”Hey, Yezi,” Charles called behind him.