My wife sometimes has stomach discomfort, joint swelling and stiffness, which is more obvious in the morning; general fatigue, sore throat, shortness of breath, and in serious cases, slight pain in the heart pit... I think it must be these problems." "Yes, yes, yes!" Shi Manna exclaimed in surprise, "Dean, you also know medicine?" "Whether it's health care or beauty, it's part of medicine." Melusina was telling the truth. For a witch in the field of "lovers", health care, beauty and medicine (especially gynecology) were compulsory courses, but she was not so exaggerated as to be able to diagnose a disease at a glance. These words were taught to her by Corneille. At that time, traditional federal medicine advocated taking cold water baths, which could make people's skin firmer, shrink pores, and prevent "pathogenic factors" from invading the skin. Corneille didn't know whether cold showers could reduce the probability of getting sick, but he saw that those noble ladies who were crazy about beauty developed a series of common symptoms after taking cold showers for a long time. Shimana had a happy chat with Melusina and was convinced by the director of the beauty salon. Even if Melusina's massage was painful like needles, she could endure it and attributed it to something wrong with her body. Melusina put one foot under the bed and kicked Corneille, signaling him to move. Corneille opened his eyes in the darkness, and a blue light seeped out of his left eye, ensuring that there was no third party force in the room. Then, he slowly drew out the "Flying Lion", activated the Minerva Protection on it, and blue light filled the sword.
Shimanna's bed had been specially modified, and Corneille reached out to untie the buckle and pull part of the bed board open. At this time, the only obstacles he had were the quilt, sheets and Shimanna's clothes. He listened carefully and estimated the thickness of the obstacles. After roughly determining it, he held his breath and stabbed upwards carefully. He had to "stab" Shimana continuously to trigger the Minerva Protection, but he couldn't hurt her and leave her with an alert and inexplicable wound, so the force, angle and timing had to be just right. Corneille was good at using a sword to exert brute force, and had never done delicate work using a sword as an embroidery needle. Before the sword was thrust out, sweat had already appeared on his forehead. Although he was nervous, his hands were still steady. The "Flying Lion" pierced through the quilt and bed sheets, and the power condensed in the sword started from the tip of the sword, piercing Shimanna's bathrobe, leaving an inconspicuous blood spot on her back. "what!" Shimana twisted her body and smiled at Melusina shyly. She confused the damage caused by Corneille with Melusina's massage and did not notice anything unusual. After Shimana left, Corneille crawled out and said to Melusina: "She has traces of being repeatedly manipulated by supernatural powers such as memory manipulation. Because I only stabbed her a few times, I can't tell the exact time, but there is no doubt that this project has been "under construction" on her body for more than 40 years. Not only her memory, the manipulation extended to her external shape: body shape, voice, hair, facial features, fat distribution, bones and nerves...all of these were full of traces of manipulation. She herself is not a supernatural being. These marks are because the hidden nerves and blood vessels are close together and do not spread energy fluctuations. Her abnormality cannot be detected by perception alone. Once specific drugs or energy are injected into her from the outside, all the results achieved by the forty-year project will be activated. But, it's really strange, her body and mind are already in a completed state. Why didn't the caster try to erase or modify those traces to make the project more concealed?" Melusina guessed: "Perhaps it's because the ugly old man is dead, and Count Marseille only inherited part of the ugly old man's skills, so he was able to get Shimana, but he was powerless to do anything else?" "It's hard to say. We have to wait for the results from Sister Helena and Miss Longueville." "If the fact that 'Shimana's memory was manipulated' is true, does it mean that she is also a victim?" Corneille shook his head: "Perhaps, but please do not underestimate the cruelty and madness of human hearts. Victims can also be perpetrators. I am worried that this new discovery will make Count Don Rodic fall into greater despair." Chapter 50: Showing Your Hands On May 5, Helena's people sent back information.
In Shimanna's hometown, they only got a glimpse of the ugly old man's fake alias, while the old man's former residence and the beautiful wife he married in his later years evaporated in the sun like morning dew. They ran to the city hall and found that the birth certificate of the ugly old man's child, his marriage certificate with the beautiful woman, and his settlement certificate when he moved here from another place also showed obvious signs of human tampering. As a result, it was the famous poem of Count Marseille that provided the clue. The image of the beautiful woman, the description of the old man, and Shimanna's hometown were consistent with the description in his poem. They followed the plot of the poem and finally found the maid who once served the beautiful woman but later left her master's house to get married. The maid's loyalty to her former mistress was wiped out by the 1000 dinars. She had seven children and her family was in financial difficulty, so she needed the money badly. So, she betrayed the information of her former mistress without reservation, feeling guilty. The beautiful woman was the mistress of the Duke of Berry, the ugly old man was old Marseille, and their child was the current Count Marseille. It became easier to trace the deeds of old Marseille. After all, Count Marseille had complained in his poems that his "father" boasted about his romantic life in his youth and had affairs in such and such places, but he had deep doubts. Helena's people went to the places mentioned in the poem and asked the locals if anyone still remembered the deeds of old Marseille. Although these things have been severely distorted by time, there is one thing in common that remains unchanged: Those women who accepted Old Marseille's pursuit had significantly different logic when facing Old Marseille and when facing other people. They were all masters at hooking men, but became the love slaves of a bald man. Although some people suspected that old Marseille had used dishonest means, they lacked evidence, the parties involved tried their best to defend themselves, and the fact that Count Marseille was "wandering around committing crimes" meant that these suspicions were left unresolved. Although not rigorous, Helena's breakthrough was enough for Corneille to define his hypothesis as a "possible fact." Anne dressed up as a newspaper commissioner for the second time and asked targeted questions in response to Don Rodick's refutation of Shimana's memory. Shimanna's mental state was extremely unstable. Under Annie's leading questioning, she answered a lot of private questions. Anne returned with a great load. When Corneille wanted to identify the spoils she brought back, she put her hands behind her back and blinked mischievously. "Praise me?" she said. Corneille did not want to be so close to Dias's candidate for fiancée, but Anne had made great contributions to Don Rodick's affairs, so he had no reason to reject her. "Well done, Miss Longueville, your wisdom and action are the cornerstone of victory," he said. "This is too formal. The tone should be more intimate." "Words like 'elegant' and 'beautiful' seem to be tailor-made for you. You are like a ball of fire, dangerous and charming..." Anne covered her ears and said, "Stop, stop, Mr. Corneille. It's a poetic sentence, but you read it with a tone that lacks intonation. It's a torture." Corneille identified Anne's "trophies". As always, Shimanna told the truth. The "facts" in her cognition had become another story. He felt that the time had come and planned to go to the Tower of Discipline to confess his guess to Don Rodick and discuss how to "kill" the woman. "Corneille, are you going to the Tower of Discipline?" said Cecil. "what happened?" "My contacts there told me that Count Marseille went to the Discipline Tower and talked with the warden for a while." "This is an alliance we have long imagined," said Corneille. "The problem is, he also came into contact with the mercenaries that the Barbarigo family had stationed outside of town."
Cecil smiled and said, "You know who wrote this." Corneille looked gloomy. He knew this day would come when he betrayed Angelica, ignored her curse-like words, and left Eagle County with Dias. But when it came, the pain it brought him was beyond his imagination. "Doctor, you shouldn't say this to me with a smile," he said softly. "What else? I see you two fighting. Should I cry with you?" Cecil was not comfortable talking about the more private parts in front of others. Sister Helena was as silent as a statue. Melusina felt Corneille's sadness and wanted to comfort him but didn't know how to start. As for Anne, she was thinking about whether to make friends with Angelica, because when it came to this person, Dias and Corneille's reactions would become more interesting. However, she felt inexplicably uncomfortable. She spoke first: "Mr. Corneille, I guess the other party may want to stop your activities by causing a conflict with you and dragging you into litigation. This is a strategy that Waite has tried and tested, and knowing that the "Justice" sector is hostile to you, its success rate is even higher. To counter this strategy, you have to play a card that you've overlooked, even if it's a risky card." Corneille went to the Tower of Discipline, but Director Cady had already resigned to serve the King of the Forest in the "Tower" domain. The new scapegoat obviously didn't understand the situation, and asked the armed forces of the "Justice" domain outside the town, or the mercenaries of the Barbarigo family, to drive Corneille out. So, the mercenaries in blue coats blocked Corneille's way. "Do you want to fight?" Gao Naiyi asked. The mercenaries in the front row suddenly parted, revealing Angelica. She looked at him with a sad expression and walked slowly towards Corneille. Gao Naiyi was stunned for a second, then he drew his sword, spread the wings on the guard, and a strong wind blew away the incoming crossbow arrows and also blew away the illusion that was disturbing him. The mercenaries had no intention of defeating Corneille by this move, but rather of creating a fait accompli for Corneille to fight them. According to the "Tower of Discipline Security Law", they can call on witches from the fields of "Chariot", "Justice" and "Judgment" for support, and bring endless troubles to Corneille through litigation afterwards. This was a move arranged by Count Marseille. The hostility shown by the Duke of Alva in his attempt to win favor (he still believes so) and Selina's indifference to Corneille's contact with No. 96 forced him to add more chips to the Triple Alliance. For their own purposes, the Three States Alliance also welcomed the Count of Marseilles' "return to the right path", but they had no practical support for Waite for the time being, only verbal promises. Count Marseille had no choice but to cut off the source of the problem and write directly to Madame Angelica, who actually controlled the Toledo family, focusing on the fact that Dias and Corneille were very popular among the witches and had chaotic private lives. The enemy of my enemy is my friend. Before long, Count Marseilles indeed gained the support of the Barbarigo mercenaries. It is unrealistic to expect this group of mercenaries to defeat Corneille, but they have a righteous cause. As long as Corneille fights with them, no matter whether he wins or loses, Corneille will be entangled in lawsuits afterwards. Don Rodic was not the only extraordinary person killed by Corneille. The Three Kingdoms Alliance was very entangled with him: Corneille was a threat, but not to the extent that the Triple Alliance would seriously consider assassinating him, as was the case with Isabella. But if the three alliances did not use extraordinary resources to deal with him, Corneille, who possessed at least three Hathor magics and two divine weapons, would be almost safe, and every failed action would raise his reputation. Now, there is an opportunity to strike at Corneille, and the Three States Alliance in Waite should not let it go. To deal with such a person who is neither a threat nor a threat, means other than violence are the best solution.
And everyone knew that the Duke of Alva only had Corneille as his strong piece. The temporary allies Corneille found locally could not win the game against him, and Isabella was even less likely to be defeated... As long as I could keep Corneille in my arms, there was nothing to be afraid of. Count Marseille's strategy was almost an open conspiracy. Even if Corneille did not come, using the mercenary team to drag those who came to the Tower of Discipline into the quagmire of litigation would still be effective. However, he failed to take into account that Corneille still had another card. When the strong wind died down and the mercenaries were about to engage Corneille in close combat to create a fait accompli, they saw a blue-black flash passing over their heads and crashing straight into the town of Nebuchadnezzar, while Corneille, who was supposed to be standing on the opposite side of the bridge, disappeared without a trace. "Move at high speed? Gao Naiyi has this trick up his sleeve?!" someone exclaimed. Someone with more knowledge retorted: "No, it's the supernatural power 'War Express' - the famous skill of Polly Gray Claw, a veteran of the scepter branch of the 'Queen' domain. Damn it, this mercenary who is greedy for money has been bribed at this time!" Chapter 51 Stupid Dog The "ignored card" that Anne mentioned was Polly. Before this, Polly was loyal to the elven royal family, the ruling elven clan in the United States, which made Cornelius feel resentful. Ever since Polly became Dias's male bodyguard, Corneille sent people to investigate her situation. Now, he can roughly outline Polly's life experience. Polly was born on December 1212, 12, which is a very auspicious number in the traditional culture of the Canis familiaris. Her father was a retired officer of the Guards. He was rude, cold and fair. Although there was no glorious record in his resume, he was a steady person. At the same time, he was also a master of weapons. His superb fighting skills made him popular in his hometown, where martial arts were very popular. People kept paying him to teach martial arts, and his family became wealthy. Her mother's background is rather mysterious. People only know that she was an elegant and virtuous noble lady who was married to Polly's father by the elven royal family. The biggest beneficiary of this marriage is Polly, whose three supernatural powers are all inherited from her mother's bloodline. Because she was the eldest daughter, Polly was decided to inherit her father's mantle at an early age. After hard training, she mastered the fighting skills of both "sword" and "spear" and became a disciple of her father. After completing her apprenticeship, Polly still had no time of her own. Her father sent her to a friend, where she learned "obedience," "respects and inferiors," military knowledge, and battle skills in the mercenary group led by him. After her one-year internship, she began to fight abroad and achieved many military exploits during her eight years of service in the mercenary group. The Guards invited Polly, and her father hoped that his daughter could inherit his mantle, but Polly, who was used to freedom, was unwilling to return to her hometown. Nothing is eternal in life. When she was enjoying the joy of independent life, an accident took away her parents. The old man fell ill, and the burden of taking care of the old and young in the family fell on her. Polly had no choice but to resign from the mercenary group and return to her hometown to take care of the household affairs. She also found a few reliable and honest old friends, gave them money, and asked them to help take care of the family. After doing all this, Polly's desire to make money grew stronger: in order to prevent her younger brothers and sisters from suffering, for the medical expenses of the elderly, and for her own retirement life, the more money the better. Shortly thereafter, on February 1234, 2, a letter from Waite changed Polly's life forever. Ingrid Lodbrok, the forest queen of the Queen's domain and a descendant of the elven royal family, appealed to Polly. Ingrid offered Polly an offer that she could not refuse, so Polly left her hometown and came to Wettebon, swore allegiance to Ingrid, and became a senior member of the scepter branch of the "Queen" domain (titled Witch). Just like the "Emperor" realm controlled by Isabella and the "Pope" realm controlled by the state religion, the status of the "witch" in the "Queen" realm does not have a strict and objective set of promotion and demotion standards like in other realms, but depends entirely on the preferences of the King of the Forest himself. Polly and Ingrid had no friendship, and as soon as she arrived in Werther, she became a "senior", which seemed very suspicious to Corneille. What is even more suspicious is that if a "senior" wants to make money, she does not have to go to the Male Management Department to serve as a guard officer. As long as she smuggles some private goods in the trade between the United States and the White State, or asks for some benefits, she can become financially independent in a few years.
Therefore, Polly was most likely sent by Ingrid, but she did not receive any more specific instructions. Her personality and her lack of talent in intrigue make it difficult for her to play the role of a spy. At present, as the investigation into Don Rodic's affairs deepened, Corneille felt deeply the lack of personal connections. Even the "two-tailed mermaid" with ulterior motives was turned into a temporary partner by him.